Finding the Strength
by silverfoxpunk
Summary: Feeling vulnerable, Elena complains to the Salvatore brothers that she wants to be more than just bait. Their subsequent actions leave her gasping for breath.  There is some adult content and strong language. Complete.
1. Pool Party

**Takes place after Ep 15, The Dinner Party, sort of. Think AU (and not just because I saw the episode ages ago and have probably misremembered it).**

**Please do review, what you say helps me shape the next chapters. **

**Enjoy. It's a humble beginning… but it will get racier and justify that M rating, I promise!**

**Finding the Strength**

**Chapter One: Pool Party**

Back at the boarding house, finally. Elena never expected to be so pleased to see it. She tried to get out the car, but she was still weak. Stefan was at her side in a flash and lifted her up off the ground.

"No, no! I can walk." She protested and reluctantly he lowered her again, but insisted on giving her his arm to lean on. The walked slowly towards the door just as Damon pulled up in his car behind them. He followed behind them in to the house.

When they were indoors, Elena lowered herself stiffly into a chair. She was healing crazy fast and the effect was actually somewhat dizzying. Stefan offered to get her something, but she shook her head. She just wanted to let the process complete. Damon went to get blood for himself and that ghastly stuff from the butchers for his brother. They both needed the strength.

"I'm fed up of this." She almost whispered, Stefan was immediately at her side, crouching down and holding her hand.

"What is it? Does it hurt?" He put a tentative hand lightly on the place where she had stabbed herself. She shook her head.

"No, not that. I'm fed up with the fact that I feel so helpless. Such a victim." Damon overheard the comment as he re-entered the room.

"You're not a victim – you fought bravely." He said and Stefan nodded his agreement.

"None of us managed to do what you achieved tonight." He added.

It was her turn to shake her head.

"No. It wasn't about skill. It was blind luck and some sweet talking. I had to half kill myself to have any chance of beating him and then I hurt my damn wrist when I stabbed him! I'm weak, pathetic. And besides, a little trick like that wouldn't work on Klaus. Who are we trying to kid?"

"Well, don't whine, do something about it." Damon said somewhat unsympathetically. "If you don't like the way things are. Change them. We can train you."

She looked up at him, curious.

"You can?"

"Yes. We can get you fit; improve your reflexes, speed, agility - stamina." He continued. Stefan was looking at her intensely, she looked between them both. "You'll never be a vampire, but you can be a better human."

"Okay." She said simply. Stefan looked troubled.

"Are you sure you want this? We will keep you safe. You don't have to do this."

"No. I want this, Stefan, I do. I am fed up of feeling like I can't do anything. If this is a war, then I want to fight. I can't just be bait."

"We start tomorrow. In the pool, eight a.m. sharp." Damon announced, then walked away towards his room.

"Are you sure about this?" Stefan repeated.

"You'll be there, won't you?"

"Of course."

"Then yes." She set her chin firmly.

"Oh, and Elena…" Damon called down the stairs. "Thanks for killing the badass vampire." He closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>She was in the pool up to her waist, wondering why on earth she was here shivering in Jenna's one piece (well, she wasn't about to wear her bikini – which is all she had otherwise). She had been letting her hands dabble in the water, but even though the sun cast golden reflections on the water, it was too early for it to generate any heat. She began to shiver, so crossed her arms and huddled her hands in her armpits. She felt freezing and clueless. What a combination… Both the boys came out the back of the house together and walked towards the edge of the pool. To her faint surprise they were fully clothed with the exception of shoes and socks. Increasing her sense of astonishment, Stefan suddenly jumped into the pool like that. He hardly disturbed the surface of the water when he entered it, such was his grace. He waded towards her, his pants sticking to his thighs and his pale blue t-shirt to his chest. He looked pretty damn hot actually. To her even greater surprise, Damon followed him into the pool fully clothed too, only he stayed at the edge, leaning backwards on the side looking at her with a little too much enthusiasm.<p>

"Good morning." Damon said, a smile on his face.

"Did I miss the bit where you said there was a dress code?" She said looking somewhat perturbed when Stefan moved a couple of steps behind her. He reached out and placed his hands on her hips and turned her back to face Damon again, front and centre. It made her nervous somehow and she tried again to turn and face him again, but he repeated the movement and asked her to stay still. So she stayed put and shivered.

"Our clothes will slow us down." Stefan said from behind her.

"And we want that because….?"

"Oh, believe me – you'll want me to be slower. Much slower." Damon added narrowing his eyes, the double meaning in his words not lost on her; she chose to ignore it.

"So what are we doing?"

"You wanted to be trained, so we are training you. If we do it in water, you won't get hurt."

"Oh, kinda like Dirty Dancing! I get you." She said. They looked at her blankly. Hmm, chick-flick reference, she was going to have to explain. "Well Patrick Swayze is trying to teach Baby this crazy dance move, but she can't nail it, so he teaches her in a river…" Seeing the utter boredom on Damon's face, her words fizzled out. "Never mind, let's get on with it. Whatever 'it' is."

Whilst she had been speaking, she did not notice that Stefan was looking over her shoulder to his brother and whispering a word so quietly that not a living soul would have heard what he said. It drifted like the breeze to his brother's super-hearing. One word.

"_Distraction."_

"So when are we going to start?" She asked and when there was no reply, she was about to try and turn around again, when Damon started to peel off his t-shirt. He did it very slowly and very, very deliberately – stretching his body like a cat in the sun. She tried so hard not to notice his golden tan body, or the way his pants sat just a bit too low, or the way his pecs rippled like….

_Splaaaaaash! _

She hit the water with a thud. She panicked and flapped around like a stranded fish, her eyes open and stinging, her nose and mouth chokingly full of water. It took a few seconds for the terror to subside long enough so she could find her footing and scrabble to surface, spluttering and cursing them both. Stefan removed his arm from where it had been placed across her belly. He was stood on the opposite side to her than he had been moments before. His movement had been so fast she had neither seen nor comprehended it.

"For chrissakes! Was the purpose of this to try and kill me?" She complained, coughing and spluttering, hating the burning sensation in the back of her throat.

"What the hell was that?" Stefan said crossly to Damon.

"You said distract her. I distracted her." He had the most devious of smiles on his face. His brother ignored him and returned to his position a couple of steps behind Elena.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not doing that again." She said, sidestepping so he could not be directly behind her.

"Fast learner." Damon chuckled.

"Its okay, I won't hurt you. If we told you what we were going to do, you wouldn't have learned anything. Now look, you wanted this – so you have to concentrate. Focus on Damon, but know your _real_ enemy is behind you."

Damon, now topless and leaning back with his arms on the poolside again, looked delicious and he knew it. She tried hard to be distracted by him and tried to feel for the moment Stefan would move around her and try to flatten her again. But Damon made a rapid move and was suddenly just three steps in front of her, scaring her half to death. Before she knew what was happening, she was blowing water out of her nostrils again. She surfaced, furious and red faced, splashing her little fists on the water.

"Damn it! I didn't see you move at all. So much for your clothes slowing you down! Try some shackles." She complained, pushing her hair back off her face and blinking her eyes rapidly.

"Actually, you did better that time." Stefan said. "But this is going to take time."

"I can't keep this up all day. You are going to drown me!" She complained.

"Ok, we'll move on. Distraction is something you will learn about in time. Come into the deeper water."

He moved backwards gracefully, reaching his hands out towards her, which she took. He pulled her into gently into his body and she deliberately nestled against him, floating into his arms and kissing him playfully, wanting to punish Damon a little bit for making her suffer. He said nothing, but merely walked behind her almost silently, barely disturbing the water as he did so. The pair of them moved like otters, it was annoying how imperceptible their movements were. She slipped her hands under Stefan's wet t-shirt, but he pushed them down. He hadn't been adverse to making Damon suffer a little bit either, but this was serious and enough was enough.

"What's next?" She asked.

"Feel like hitting Damon?" Stefan asked cheerily. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Oh sure!" She said enthusiastically, then turned to face the man behind her, a big cheesy grin on her face. He smiled back with fake enthusiasm.

"Ok. Hit him." Stefan said, barely containing the laugh in his voice.

"What? Just smack him down?"

"Sure. You go for it. Wipe that smirk off his face." Stefan said, looking Damon in the eye.

Elena put herself in a boxing stance, fists up towards her face. She bounced about in the water.

"Ready for me?" She asked, playfully shadow boxing.

"I think I'll cope…" He said dryly.

She looked at Stefan for reassurance and he pointed his open hand at his brother's face.

"Here I come!" She warned, then lightly swung her hand out to hit him. Even if she had made contact, it would have been about as bad as being hit by a pillow. However, suddenly she found herself looking down on the pool from above, watching drips from her torso hit the water as she had been lifted bodily in the air above Damon's head. He had not only maneuvered away from her pathetic punch, but had turned 180 degrees the other way, so that Stefan was now in fact behind him. Damon's hands were digging into her sides as he held her high above his head. She shrieked, not liking this sensation one bit. She felt giddy (half caused by the water still in her ears) and began kicking her legs and wriggling. He dropped her unceremoniously and for the third time she hit the water with a splash.

"Bad luck." He said, walking back to his original position. Stefan put a hand down to retrieve her and she emerged spluttering worse than before.

"That was out of order!" He scalded his brother angrily.

"She tried to hit me!" Damon replied.

"Yeah, well, what if _I_ hit you?" Stefan took a step towards him and Damon puffed his chest up and also took a step forwards. Elena, having somewhat regained her composure, was in the middle of the pair of them. She looked at them both desperate to rip a piece out of each other.

She balled her fist and smacked Damon in the stomach for all she was worth. He actually staggered backwards.

"Distraction!" She said grinning like a fool.


	2. Sweet Like Chocolate

**If you don't like smut, this chapter ain't for you.**

**Hope its okay.**

**Finding the Strength**

**Chapter 2: Sweet Like Chocolate**

When he entered the room, he was dressed head to foot in white, a wire mask and bag under his arm and an extraordinary sword-like weapon in his hand. He told her it was called an épée.

"It's more fun than a foil," he said, "because nothing is off limits." And he grinned, giving it an exaggerated flourish as if to make his point. He looked like a little boy who had been given an air rifle and she couldn't help but smile too.

"Isn't fencing a bit, well, archaic?" Elena asked.

"The word 'fence' is derived from the French word _defens _- it means 'the act of defending'. Which I think you'll agree is appropriate, _n'est pas_?" With a shrug, she conceded that it was. "Look, do you think Stefan and I have survived such a long time just because we are fast and have super senses?"

"Well, kinda… yeah."

"A fast, but stupid vampire, can still get hit by a car if they have not developed the reflexes and the reactions to use that speed to save themselves. Do you understand?"

"I think so. Sort of."

He walked towards her and handed her the bag he carried. She opened it and rifled through the clothing inside with misgivings.

"Do I really have to wear this?" She asked him, pulling out a chest protector which looked like something Zena Warrior Princess would have rejected for being a touch on the 'silly' side.

"No, not at all. Unless you _want _your body cut to ribbons."

"Sarcasm is an ugly trait, Damon Salvatore. Very ugly indeed…" She said and walked away from him to get changed.

* * *

><p>He was anxious to get started and paced the disused bedroom which he had turned into a temporary arena for them. When she walked in, dressed in shining white outfit, mask under her arm and chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders - he momentarily forgot what he was here to do. It was if time had slowed down. She tied her hair up and he took a breath and pulled himself together.<p>

They worked hard that morning and although he never would have admitted it, he was pleased with the progress of his student. She was fast to pick up skills and she listened closely to instruction. Occasionally he stepped in and placed his hands on her shoulders or her hips to correct her posture. He had his hands on waist now and he held her just a moment longer than intended when the honeyed fragrance of her shampoo hit his nostrils. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Shall we take a break?" She asked. He coughed lightly.

"Mmm, good idea." He let her go - in his own time.

She sat down and opened a bottle of water, drinking a liter of it almost without pause. There was a gentle knock on the door and Damon called out.

"Come in, Stefan."

She smiled as Stefan walked in. He went straight over to her, pulled her towards him and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Damon played with the grips on his gloves.

"How's it going?" Stefan asked.

"Its so hard!" She complained. "Damon's a slave driver; this is the first rest we've had all morning. And my legs hurt, and I am going to be covered in bruises and I…" He began to chuckle.

"What did you expect? Did you think it would be easy?"

"I wanted a montage!" She huffed, "One minute useless girl - the next minute championship fencer!" He laughed again and kissed her on the forehead.

"You work hard and you'll be kicking butt like Buffy in no time." She pouted playfully and he stroked her cheek before walking over to Damon.

"I'll take her tomorrow."

"Fine."

"I have to go out. Take care of her." Damon looked at his brother and she saw that something passed between them. She would have loved some of their super hearing right now. She didn't care what Damon said, she was sure it gave them the advantage.

"I'll keep her busy; she won't even notice you're gone." He assured him. Stefan nodded once and looked back to Elena.

"Take no prisoners." He said with mock seriousness and walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>She took a long soak in the tub and felt the hot water soothe her tired joints. She had lost count of the amount of times Damon had used the term 'bend at the knees' and boy had he meant it. She regretted having only been skiing that one time, as more skiing muscle-memory would have definitely helped with fencing. What's more, Damon didn't let up - he was a workaholic and expected her to be too. If he thought she was slacking, he wasn't shy about telling her so.<p>

As soon as she stepped out the bath, she felt her muscles seize up again. She groaned and rubbed at the back of her thigh, but she couldn't reach the problem area with any real effectiveness. She wrapped herself in her towel and picked up her hairbrush, attempting to tease the tangles out of her wet hair. She winced; it seemed to take twice as long as normal, as putting her arms anywhere above waist height really hurt. What new agonies Stefan had in store for her tomorrow she didn't even want to imagine.

Whose stupid idea was this training thing anyway? Oh, right. Crap.

The cocoa body butter she had remembered to bring from home felt good when she rubbed it into her calves. At least she could reach _some_ of those aching bits. Plus it smelled delicious, which was an added bonus. When she finally finished pampering herself, she opened the door of her bedroom to get some clean clothes. Damon was sat in the corner of the room waiting for her and she stifled a scream.

"Jesus, you made me jump! What are you doing in here?" Her hand automatically jumped to her towel. It was rather shorter than she would have liked.

"I was wondering if you would like a massage?"

"No, Damon! Jeez, get out of here." She said distractedly, looking around quickly for her discarded clothes. Where the hell were her panties? She found them on the floor where she had previously dropped them and tried now to negotiate bending to pick them up without letting him see anything he shouldn't. She managed a deft sideways knee bend, but blushed all the same. As she straightened up, she winced slightly from the pain in her legs. She was about to disappear back into the bathroom with her clothes, when she met the wall of his chest in front of her. She hated it when either one of them pulled that speedy vampire shit.

"I know you ache because you worked hard today. Let me help you." She looked at him, he had a straight face and there was none of his normal mischief detectable behind his eyes. She considered it for about a nano-second.

"No, Damon, it's just not appropriate. When Stefan gets back, I am sure he'll help." Damon shrugged and made his way over to the door.

"If Stefan had any ability to, I am sure he would. I know sports massage, he doesn't, but it's fine. Whatever." He opened the door and made to leave, but she called after him.

"Really?" He turned back to face her. "I mean, that you know sports massage?" He nodded.

"Well, I suppose if I have to go through all that again tomorrow…. Wait a minute, I'll just go put some clothes on."

"You are fine as you are." She gave him a look, but he returned it with one that suggested she was being silly. She had a moment of indecision, then went and sat on the bed.

"Lie face down please." He said. Oh goodness, this was probably a very bad idea. She got up again.

"I really, really would feel much happier putting some clothes -" He interrupted by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Elena, relax. Just lie down and take it easy. You can keep the towel on."

She chewed her lip for a moment.

"Okay." He nodded once as if agreeing she had made the only sensible decision. He asked her if she had any oils and she thought about it; she only kept a few things at their house.

"I have some cocoa butter, will that do?"

"Probably fine."

She went into the bathroom to fetch it and as she turned to walk out, caught sight of her reflection. Why were her cheeks so flushed? And her eyes definitely looked… well frankly they looked sparkly. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it even more tightly around her body, but she was painfully aware she had nothing on underneath. Why hadn't she taken this opportunity to grab her panties when she could have? This situation was wrong and she knew it. She was going to go back out there and tell him she was sorry, but she had changed her mind. One deep breath later and she walked back into the room.

"Damon, I…." He was stood waiting for her with his sleeves rolled up ready; the pillows on the bed had been carefully arranged so she could lie face down in comfort.

"Ready?" He asked.

She looked at him; he was so hard to read when he was like this. It was like he shut his emotions in a box. Stefan had taught her that this lack of feeling was in appearance only and often far from the reality, so she had learned to trust her instincts around them both. Basically, vampires where just better at hiding their feelings than humans. It didn't mean they didn't have any. She considered Damon for a moment and almost wished that when she had walked in that he had been sat on the bed patting it invitingly, so she could have thrown him out. However, this Damon seemed sincere and that was what was giving her trouble. She shifted her weight and a pain shot through her leg. It made the decision for her.

She handed him the body butter. He opened it, put some in his hands and worked it between his palms until it became almost liquid.

"Is it okay?" She asked.

"It will do. Make yourself comfortable." He suggested, sounding almost aloof. She moved over to the bed and awkwardly lay down on it, rearranging pillows somewhat until she was comfortable. She kept her legs clamped firmly together, fully aware of what she was thinking of as her underwear 'situation'. He waited until she stopped fidgeting and then he got onto the bed too and lowered himself so he was squatting just behind her buttocks, his legs either side of her own. She blushed. She hadn't been expecting that. He settled back, letting his calf muscles take his weight, but she could still feel the slight pressure of his body over the back of her legs. It was a surprisingly pleasant sensation.

"Can you lift your hair please?" He said. She moved it, revealing her neck to him and then folded both her arms under her chin.

He placed his hands on the centre of her shoulders and moved them slowly outwards, applying a gentle pressure. She rolled her head slightly, embracing the feeling of his hands as they moved up to the tops of her shoulders, his thumbs working out the knots.

"Pressure okay?" He asked.

"Mmm, fine." She said, beginning to unwind.

He worked on her shoulders for a bit then asked her to move her arms, he worked all the way down each arm, manipulating the palms of each hand and every finger until she felt all the tension in her upper body begin to fade away. He suddenly jumped off the bed and stood with her feet between his legs. He took more of the body butter, warmed it in the palms of his hands as before, and then began to work on her calves. She may have unintentionally murmured her appreciation, her legs began to relax falling a little apart of their own accord.

He worked all the muscles in her calves down to her ankles. When he got to her feet though, she felt herself blush. It seemed almost too intimate to have him touching her there, especially as he seemed to be paying special attention, using both hands to work each foot down to every toe. He seemed to know just where to press and she found herself beginning to feel slightly like she wished he would move his hands, well, upwards. She fidgeted and he seemed to redouble his efforts. She found herself breathing very deeply. He began to work his way back up her legs and suddenly his hands were at the hemline of her towel, a good four inches above her knees. He began kneading her thighs with the same attention he had paid the rest of her. When his hands slipped up just a little higher, she found herself shifting by mere millimeters, easing her legs into a more relaxed position. He said nothing, just leapt almost silently back to his original position above her on the bed.

He leaned down and spoke quietly in her ear, "Lower your towel so I can do your back." She liked the way his weight felt above her and the tickle of his breath on her cheek, but she hesitated. If she was going to let him pull the towel down her back, then it would leave her breasts exposed. However, she was face down on the bed and he wouldn't be able to see anything. What's more, he was working on her shoulders again and so far she had to admit, he had been very professional. So she made her decision and loosened the towel. He folded it back and she took a slight intake of breath, as he had dropped it so far down, she was revealing just the slight curve of her rear.

She felt him reach for the cocoa butter and warm it once more in his hands, the familiar sound of his palms rubbing together heightening her expectation. Where would he put his hands next?

He touched her lower back, the palms resting just above the rise of her bottom and pushed his hands forward. He repeated the motion a few times and she began to relax once more. His hands slid along her body and he leaned in to her; she could feel his proximity, his mass, the faint scent of his aftershave - sometimes his lips were only a hairs' breadth away from her skin. His hands slipped to her waist and pushed upwards, stopping just short of her breasts, she felt her breath catch. She realised she wanted his hands to keep going. She chewed her lip anxiously; she was unbelievably turned on. Could he sense that? If he did, he wasn't saying anything. Thank goodness he couldn't see her face. His hand moved to the back of her neck, which he massaged like she was a lover nestled in his lap at night. It wasn't helping! She shifted again, aware of the sweet hunger growing between her legs.

He moved down her body again and with speed he ran his hands with firm pressure up the back of her legs. She exhaled, her nipples hardened against the cool cotton sheet beneath her. He was making her so damn wet. His hands moved further and further up her legs, well under the hem of the towel, his thumbs now touching her quivering ass.

"Damon…" she said breathlessly. "Damon, please stop."

"If you want me to stop, I will." He said, his hands still moving.

"I… I…."

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked again, letting his hands travel up her thighs, his fingers working their magic, magic that was threatening to make her lose all control. She bit her lip heavily, her eyes closed and her body swelled with that sweet, blissful ache.

"No. No, don't stop." She felt the towel slip away entirely and she gasped. She was now fully naked and she knew he was taking her in. Her cheeks burned scarlet red. She felt his hands travel all the way up her legs and over her behind. Leaning forwards, he let his hands slip under her arms. She gave a gentle cry as he massaged her breasts. She arched her back towards him, giving his hands more space to move. His lips were so close to her naked body, he would barely have to dip to touch her back with them. A moan escaped her mouth as her body surrendered to his touch.

His hands moved quickly now, taking in every inch of her over and over again, building in momentum. She moved onto her side, so she could bend her knees and separate her legs. As she moved, he stroked her inner thigh, applying the same gentle pressure. He let his hand travel all the way up her legs until he was massaging her pussy. She began to writhe, tossing her hair over her back. One hand was between her legs, sliding his fingers over her clit, whilst the other massaged her buttocks almost greedily. He shifted his weight and she could feel his cock hard against her leg.

"Don't stop." She said, through ragged breaths. He increased his speed and she gripped the sheets, opening and closing her own hands as the shockwaves moved through her.

He slipped his fingers inside of her and she writhed and squirmed trying to push him deeper. She could feel his heavy breaths on her back and she began to cry out.

He withdrew his hands and she heard that familiar sound of more of the cocoa butter being worked between them. She was burning up from anticipation now, desperate to have his hands on her once again. He pushed his fingers inside her once more and let the tip of his thumb massage her sensitive perineum; she pushed back against him wanting him to fill every hole in her. She came then, crying out and bucking against him, the violence of her orgasm decrying the gentleness with which it had been obtained. She fell panting against the pillows, utterly spent. Her whole body tingled from head to toe.

He wriggled up the bed and lay against her body, caressing her breast lightly with his hand. She took it into her own and encircled it, holding him close to her as she fought to regain her breath.

"Don't you want to be inside me?" She asked almost shyly.

"Yes, of course. But when the time is right." She breathed deeply. She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she didn't question him further.

"Are you feeling relaxed now?" He asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"You know I am." She said.

"I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful." He whispered and with that he was gone.


	3. Playing with Fire

**Thanks to everyone who is reading along with this story. I do hope you like where this is going, I think it is going to get rather steamy actually!**

**I'm not going to beg for reviews, as clearly I'm above that, _but_…**

**Apologies for any Britishisms as always.**

* * *

><p><strong>Finding the Strength<strong>

**Chapter 3: Playing with Fire**

_Sniff sniff sniff_

There it was again; as Elena opened the fridge to remove a carton of eggs, she realized that she could not only feel Stefan's suspicion, but hear it too. She felt dreadful about what had passed between her and his brother, but in her head she was already trying to write it off as an innocent thing that had spiraled out of control. In any case, whatever the truth was, she knew she didn't want Stefan to find out. It wouldn't happen again, so all she had to do was get through this morning and she knew his suspicions would pass.

Damon joined them both in the kitchen as he did most mornings and they had all mumbled greetings to each other then fallen into an (un)comfortable silence. He had looked at her boldly when he spoke, but she kept her eyes firmly adverted as she muttered her response. Her mind was strong, but her body seemed happy to betray her; just his presence made a shiver of desire run through her. Now she was finding ways to keep herself busy, anything but actually have to sit around the table together like one big happy family. She thought it best if she stayed on the other side of the room. Hence she was at the fridge looking at eggs she had no intention of eating.

And it all would have been fine, except for bloodhound Stefan.

_Sniff sniff sniff_

"Chocolate." He said finally and she winced. She closed her eyes briefly and hoped he moved on. "Definitely chocolate. Why do you both smell like chocolate?" He turned to face Damon, as he always did when he was feeling accusatory.

Damon continued to eat the toast he had in front of him. Black coffee, blood and toast. It was the way he liked to start his day and always had been. Century old habits died hard.

"It's not chocolate, you sense-challenged-one, it's cocoa butter." He corrected. Elena slammed the fridge closed. She tried to keep her breathing steady, because she knew that if she got anxious Stefan would sense it. She moved to the breadbox because it was in the corner of the room and it meant that she did not have to face either of them.

"So why do you both smell of cocoa butter then?" Stefan asked irritably.

"Because I gave Elena a massage yesterday." Damon said simply and bit into his toast.

Christ, what the hell was he playing at? No…. she wouldn't panic, not yet anyway. Although she couldn't see it, she could imagine Stefan's eyebrows knotting together.

"And why the fuck were you giving my girlfriend a massage?"

"Because she needed one." Crunch.

How could he eat? She reached for a bagel to disguise her trembling hand, but realized she would have to use a knife to slice it open and figured it probably hadn't been the smartest of choices. She picked up the bread knife and put all her concentration into keeping it steady.

"Oh really. And whose suggestion was that?" He was clearly squaring up for a fight.

"Stefan, you're being ridiculous." She interjected. Did those words just come out of her mouth? She had managed to slice the bagel evenly too. She popped both halves in the toaster, pressed the button and forced herself to find the courage to turn and face them both. "It was just a massage." She concluded.

"Well, if you wanted one, I could have done it for you."

"You weren't here."

"Well, I don't like him touching you!" He said. "It's totally out of order. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I wanted his hands all over my body, isn't that right Damon?" He nearly choked, but managed to gather himself again quickly.

"Er, sure… Right."

She felt emboldened by the truth, the words now spilling out without encouragement.

"I was thinking, wow as we are here, why don't we just make sweet love? I mean I was naked anyway, so why not? I'd already had one orgasm, so why not make it two? Isn't that right Damon?" She asked, looking at him with one eyebrow raised quizzically.

He cleared his throat, the bread seemed to be stuck in the back of it.

"Er, um, sure... I guess so."

She stared at Stefan with a look that said 'go on then, challenge me' and the room turned to stony silence. Cold sweat prickled on the back of her neck as she attempted to stare him down. She had made her play; she just had to tough it out. The silence seemed to tick by endlessly and all she could hear was her heartbeat. Suddenly the bagel popped.

"That's for you." She said indicating it behind her with a toss of her head. With her best pissed off look, she marched out of the kitchen. He had a moment of indecision, then jumped up and followed her.

"Elena, wait up! I'm a dick. I'm sorry!"

Damon breathed again. Jesus, she gave him a run for his money sometimes.

* * *

><p>"Nice shot!"<p>

"Really?" Elena beamed. She put the gun down in front of her as she had been shown. Stefan picked it up, checked the barrel was empty and ejected the empty clip.

"Dead centre. Look." Stefan pressed a button and the electronic pulley clunked into action, sweeping the results of her target practice towards her. As the rather disconcerting disembodied head came forwards, she could see that her last eight shots had been far more accurate than her previous rounds. One had passed right through the brain area. She was pleased. "Good girl." He said. "You learn fast. Right, I think we should leave now before you realize you don't need me any more." He gave her a sad smile as he removed his eye protection.

* * *

><p>They left the shooting range and Elena found herself walking with a touch of bounce in her step. So far, this had been the easiest day of her training and she was feeling all the more confident for it. She had been extremely anxious about spending the day with Stefan after their confrontation this morning, but after successfully pulling off her 'I can't believe you are being such a jealous douche-bag' act, she relaxed a little. He was being lovely to her too, as he obviously felt like he had some making up to do. Inwardly she felt bad for the deception, but she believed it was a necessary evil. She could never allow him to find out about the night before, which she felt certain was a simple misguided slip-up. When she got a chance to have a moment alone with Damon, she would reiterate that point to him too, (just in case he had any funny ideas about trying to take things further).<p>

In any case, when Stefan had told her in the car that her session with him today would involve firearms training, her nerves had returned. She had never felt any particular need to handle guns, but she felt she understood why knowledge of them now was probably essential. Stefan admitted teaching her about them was a 'dreary necessity', but he also added that she should consider the skills she learnt of more value than just the ability to fire straight.

"It will improve your hand-eye coordination, accuracy and teach you the value of looking after your equipment. Believe me, when you have had a gun jam on you at a vital moment, you will make sure it never happens again. Firearms require control, patience and calm. Its nothing like you see in the movies."

He had asked her to give a little more information about the things that Damon had run through with her the day before and she had given him the answers she had pre-prepared so that she would not blush. _Footwork, riposte, offense, invitation, ruse and recovery._ He seemed pleased and said that the skills they would teach her would be complimentary.

"We should sort out a proper schedule for you." He offered. "You should continue to alternate. We'll share you between us until you get what you need."

He was trying to tell her that he trusted her, but she looked out of the window as her cheeks flushed red.

* * *

><p>She was exhausted by the time she went to bed. Three days of learning new skills and solid concentration made her brain ache. Her 'holiday' was becoming harder than school! Stefan seemed somewhat disappointed when rather than responding to his inviting smile and gentle kisses, she merely snuggled into the crook of his arm and allowed her eyelids to grow heavy. Within no time at all she was asleep.<p>

It was only a couple of hours later when she woke up. Something in her dreams had disturbed her (Stefan and Damon were soldiers in Afghanistan fighting next to one another, and she had been there too, kidnapped maybe - but the details stubbornly slipped away). She found she couldn't just go back to sleep, so she decided to get up and get some fresh air. She got out of bed, dressed quietly and made her way downstairs.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she spotted Damon watching TV. The remote was frozen in his hand as if he were about to change channels; his face with the slack-jawed expression of a person determined to watch a stream of crap with no plan to exercise quality control.

"Hey." She said and he continued to look at the screen. She walked around to sit next to him. She pulled her legs up and cradled them. "You never watch TV. What's got you hooked?" She was intrigued and looked at the screen. "Oprah? Seriously?"

"See that man, she just bought him a house. The woman is a legend." He said. She gave him a look to let him know that she knew when she was being mocked.

"What? Can't a man have a heroine?"

"You're a vampire, not a man. And you don't have heroines."

He placed a hand on his heart. "That stings, Elena."

The audience on screen cheered noisily and the camera cut to them getting to their feet whooping and applauding whatever it was that was getting them agitated. She took the remote out of his hand and switched the sound off. The images continued to flicker across his face, highlighting what she felt was a look of slight anxiety.

"I was watching that."

"No, you weren't." Her voice fell automatically to a whisper, even though she knew Stefan was fast asleep upstairs. "Damon, don't you think we need to talk?"

"Not especially, but I can tell you are going to any way." She flushed with annoyance.

"We need to discuss what happened, or rather, what shouldn't have happened last night. Because I just want to put things straight, Damon. I want you to know that it was a one off. I don't know how it happened, but we have to forget it ever did. Okay?" She looked at him; he seemed expressionless, Oprah's face traveled in sepia shades over his own. At his silence she prompted him again, "Okay?" Still he did not respond. "Fine, go back to Oprah!" She said, grabbing the remote and thumping the sound back on. She tossed the controller onto the chair as she got to her feet. She tried to walk past him, but as she did he reached out and took hold of her wrist. It was a gentle persuasive move rather than an aggressive one - a question rather than a statement – and perhaps because of that, she halted.

"Elena…"

"What is it?"

He turned the TV off altogether, plunging them into the gloom of a room lit only by moonlight. He stood up.

"Friends?" He asked. She wasn't expecting that and her face softened. She took time to consider her answer; she had much to hate him for, she really did, but then friendships weren't decided with heads, they were decided with hearts. She nodded, yes, they were friends.

She turned to walk away again, but he let his fingers envelope her wrist further and he held on to her until she halted. She stayed still and realized her heart was beating twenty to the dozen. She looked at the floor, a slow burn rising to her cheeks. He looked at her intently; her long tan legs leading upwards to the stark white fabric of his brother's shirt, lazily thrown on so that the buttons gaped a little. Her tousled mahogany hair cascaded over her shoulders and framed her elfin face. Even in this light, he could see that her liquid brown eyes were conflicted with emotion and it pricked at his vampire senses. He could pick each of her feelings out of the air if he wanted to, every one of them. The scent of her was on his tongue and he could tune his body to the beat of her heart. But he knew it went deeper than that, deeper than that for both of them. He felt his body quicken, but he controlled his urge to change.

He still had hold of her wrist and he let his middle finger rise and ever-so-softly stroked the artery he found there. He knew the touch had meaning for them both; it was a mostly overlooked erogenous zone and from the look on her face, one that had not been discovered before. For him it was altogether something else and he felt his skin go taut and his eyes flick red as a natural response to her elevated pulse which was surging through him. She looked him in the eyes and he repeated the action, but she deftly pulled her hand away.

"Goodnight, Damon." The words trembled on her lips; he knew she wanted to get away from him - from his heat - from his danger. Then, almost as an afterthought, she leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek, as if feeling guilty that she was running away. As she did so, his hand automatically raised itself to her face and he touched it so tenderly she paused. She didn't know why, but she leaned in again to kiss him again, as if the first kiss hadn't happened at all. This time her lips found his. She pulled away, feeling the burn of shame running through her. Although the kiss was the merest of touches, it exposed her and he knew it.

Despite herself, she couldn't move her feet. He looked at her intently and she could feel his eyes taking her in and uncovering her mysteries, finding the sensual woman she tried, but failed, to hide from him. _"I know who you are." _He whispered and touched her face again, the backs of his fingers brushing against her warm skin, sweeping down her throat and across her shoulder. He closed the gap between them and met her gaze. She felt his cool, long fingers thread into her own as he took her hand and squeezed it. He kept destroying her barriers with disarming affection, not lust as she expected. Suddenly she recalled the feel of his weight on her, pressing against her body and she realized that it was like this now; his presence a sweet pressure pushing against her, opening her to his possibilities.

She didn't move when he used his free hand to tip her chin softly upwards. _"You can't hide from me."_ He breathed and finally kissed her lips. A slow, sweet kiss at first, pulling her bottom lip into his. Her own lips fell open as she gave in to him and his tongue darted inside, licking and exploring, teasing and tasting her. The wetness and the softness turning them both on. Finally she returned his kiss, her own tongue probing and licking, enjoying him at long last. Their intensity grew, they could not stop from exploring each other, their lips, tongues and hands alive with fire. His face was buried in her hairline, nibbling at her ear and kissing every inch of her throat. He had her bent almost backwards and she clung to him, arms around his neck, hands buried in his soft hair pulling him in closer, as close as she could get with her pelvis pressed hard against his erection. Suddenly he couldn't hold back any more and he felt himself change, his pale skin threaded with veins and his jagged teeth protruding. She should have been afraid, but instead she kissed him and provocatively let her tongue lick lightly up the length of one of his sharp incisors until it tickled at his gum. She felt his shock and for the first time, she knew that a shiver of lust passed through him similar to what she herself had been suffering since he had first touched her. It drove him right to the edge and she knew it. He almost pulled her off his feet as he kissed her back, returning to his human form as he lost himself to very human emotions.

"Elena! What the fuck?" They pulled back, panting for breath. The shock they felt was from the passion of their kiss as much as from the interruption.

She was grateful Damon's arms were still around her, or she would have fallen. He righted her to her feet, and she looked at the intruder. His face went beyond hurt, beyond angry.

"Stefan!" She stammered.


	4. The Suggestion

**Bearing in mind I did categorise this story as Romance/Humor, I am painfully aware that so far, I am rather falling short on the humor! Anyway, hopefully we will pass through the angst together and get to the good stuff (which is my way of apologizing that this chapter may be a bit filler-ish).**

**I am introducing Elena's diary – because for a programme called The Vampire _Diaries_, the writers sure have forgotten about it. ;-)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy…**

* * *

><p><strong>Finding the Strength<strong>

**Chapter 4: The Suggestion**

Before she could utter another word, Stefan's fist connected with Damon's face and he went flying backwards. Then there was the all too familiar sound of furniture breaking behind her. How was she supposed to stop two seasoned killers pumped for a fight that had been brewing for months?

"Stop it! Please stop fighting!" She muttered ineffectually, the same words she always used, to the same lack of effect.

They moved around the room in a blur like fighting dogs, breaking things as they went; she couldn't get between them and didn't much want to anyway. Although they would never mean to hurt her, she wasn't protected by a Gilbert family ring. What good was a vervain necklace in a situation like this?

In the end, she sank to her knees, covering her face and bursting into tears. "I can't do this anymore!" She sobbed. That got their attention soon enough and they were both immediately by her side. Damon put himself between her and Stefan, just in case his brother's anger found a new target - not that he truly believed it would.

"Of all the people…." Stefan pointed aggressively at them both. "Why him? Why Elena?"

She looked up at him, she couldn't answer. To his credit, Damon didn't choose to fill the silence with one of his wisecracks. Stefan turned away, running a hand through his hair and falling onto the sofa.

"I can't believe this."

Damon helped her stand and took her to the other side of the room to sit down. Wisely he avoided sitting near either of them, but went and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He poured one for Stefan too and went to give it to his brother, but the glass was smacked out of his hand. It hit the floor with a loud smash. "Fine." Damon said responding to the petulant act. He took a long, deep and burning swig for himself and welcomed the alcohol like a long lost friend.

Stefan had been lost in his thoughts, but now he looked up, his eyes blurred with tears.

"Just tell me one thing, Elena, the massage… Was that for real?"

She began to cry harder, tears flooding into her hands. Stefan made a sound like a sob that caught in the back of his throat. Damon felt sadness wash over him. None of this was supposed to happen; he hated all this unnecessary pain. He went over to Elena and stroked her back, bringing Stefan to his feet in order to shove him away from her.

"Don't you touch her!"

Damon raised his hands passively and took a few steps back. Stefan looked down at her, "Have you had sex with him?" He asked, disgust in his voice.

"No, Stefan. No!" She said, finally finding her voice. He felt sick regardless, funny how that detail didn't seem to matter half as much as he thought it would. He was still betrayed. The act itself would have just been the ugly icing on the already ugly cake.

"Stefan, hear me out before you shoot me down okay?" Damon asked. He touched his brother's arm and Stefan didn't seemed to have the energy to shrug him off. "Stefan, I care about Elena, you know I do. We have a connection that we didn't ask for, didn't court - but it's there. I'm sorry this happened, I really am. But I don't think we can stop this thing we have between us."

"I love her, Damon!" Stefan complained.

"I know you do."

"We can't help how we feel, Stefan." She interrupted. Stefan took a step towards her.

"Help me to understand, Elena, because I sure don't at the moment. What do you get from him that you don't get from me?"

She looked away. How could she explain it? How could she say to him that they were two sides of the same coin? Damon, passionate, sensuous, intense – Stefan, kind, loving, faithful. She looked at him through teary eyes and couldn't find the words. His jaw was set firm.

"I'm done with this. And I'm done with you." He said, grabbing his keys, wallet and jacket. She jumped to her feet, putting herself between him and the door.

"Please, please don't leave like this!" She begged, but he pushed her out of his way.

"I don't want you anywhere near me." He said and the door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>She was packing up the few things she had in Stefan's room when Damon knocked and entered. She was still crying; she hadn't stopped since his brother had walked out. Damon went over to her and tried to hug her, but she pushed him away.<p>

"I just can't…." She said, he nodded and backed off. As he got to the door, he turned to face her.

"You can stay in one of the guest rooms. It will be easier for you not have to travel here every morning for the early starts."

"What are you talking about Damon? I am going home!" She said angrily, how could he even believe she would be thinking about her training right now? Surely he was the most insensitive bastard that ever walked the earth. He looked at her seriously. After a second he spoke.

"You think Klaus cares that you are having a bad day, or that your boyfriend walked out on you? You've never been more vulnerable than you are now. If I were him, I'd attack you tomorrow."

She sat down onto the bed with a thump, raised her hands to her face and let the tears run. "Jesus Christ." She knew he was right, but she didn't have to thank him for it. Suddenly the horror of this world she had gotten caught up in became real to her. She was Klaus's prey; it was as simple as that. "Get out, Damon." She said, her voice barely a whisper.

He was about to close the door, but opened it again after a moment's hesitation and added, "Eight a.m. Elena, don't be late." Then he shut the door quietly behind him.

* * *

><p>As Damon entered his room, he looked down at his hands and realized he was shaking. He had thought about this moment before, he couldn't lie about it – Stefan catching them in the act. In the fantasy it was a victory, but the reality was nothing like that. He just felt sick.<p>

Elena would fall apart if he let her. He planned not to let her.

He had to be hard on her, push her through - but God, he felt like a total bastard for even thinking about what needed to be done. Once upon a time he could brush away feelings like this, but not now. He needed another drink. No, scratch that, he needed the whole bloody bottle.

* * *

><p>At precisely eight in the morning, he walked through the wreckage of his living room. He made himself breakfast and tried not to watch the clock. At eight sixteen she came into the room. She was dressed in sweats, her eyes hidden by shades, hair pulled back into a simple pony tail and she was wearing a Yankees baseball cap pulled down low. She was as pale as he had ever seen her. As she had cried pretty much all night (he had heard her), he knew she hadn't slept. Right now she was sullen and defeated and he had to deal with that.<p>

"You're late." He said sternly. It just killed him, but he steeled himself to the task. She looked at him, anger exploded out of her.

"For chrissakes, Damon!" Good, anger was better than despair. He could work with that.

"Do two laps of the grounds. I won't tolerate lateness." She gave him a look that could curdle butter, but she slouched her way to the front door, opened it and stepped outside. With super-speed he ran to their roof terrace to see what she was doing. She wasn't going to break any records, but she was indeed running. He rushed downstairs again before she found out that he was checking up on her.

It was going to be hard, but he knew he could do it.

* * *

><p>She was dripping with sweat and she ripped open the Velcro strips of her protective jacket with anger. Damon had not held back. He had scored forty touches off her in quick succession and she had had to work damn hard just to avoid it being forty more. Every time she tried to thrust, he revealed the weaknesses in her attack. Every time she defended, he found an opening. It had been an exhausting, pointless exercise; she was never going to score a single touch against him even if she spent the next fifty years trying. She was about as miserable as she could be. And Stefan was gone.<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning she knew it was Stefan's day and at seven forty-five she was up and ready, waiting in the kitchen. She had to believe he would be there. Had to.<p>

Damon walked down into the kitchen at the dot of eight and looked at her sadly.

"I'll take you to the range." He said. "Come on, get in the car."

"No. It's Stefan's day. He'll be here." She said stubbornly.

"Fine, have it your way. Wait. But I leave at ten past, whether you are with me or not."

* * *

><p>When they were in the car Damon had barely spoken, not sure what to say to her, but when she had muttered almost to herself, "Where is he?", he had used the opportunity to answer her truthfully.<p>

"Killing things." She looked at him for an explanation, so he continued. "He's angry and upset, therefore he's hunting. Women shop, men get drunk: vampires hunt." He didn't say another thing until they got the range.

* * *

><p><em>Tuesday, 17th July<em>

_Dear Diary_

_Stefan where are you? _

_It's been over two weeks and I am going out of mind. Why don't you contact us and tell us you're okay? You left your phone here don't answer emails and I don't know how else to contact you. All I can think about is where you are and what you are doing. I only stay in this house because I want to be here when you walk through that door. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I miss you so much._

_Damon is being just ghastly. He has forced me to continue my training and made me start the morning after __that__ night. He's unbelievable. He works me so hard, I just fall into bed at night and pass out. I think I even have cuts on top of my bruises!_

_He has moved the combat practice from the pool into one of the guest rooms. There's a practice mat in there, but it still hurts like hell when I am being knocked off my feet in a dozen different ways each day. Now we start at six-thirty every morning and I train for at least twelve hours. He says I have to get strong because otherwise Klaus will sense that I am weak and come for me sooner. _

_I have no appetite since you left. Damon tries to get me to eat, but I just can't, so he forces me to drink power shakes instead. One day he caught me pouring one away, so now he watches until I finish them. I don't even know what's in them, he won't tell me. _

_I have so little time to myself, but when I eventually collapse into bed I think of you and what Damon and I did. I was so selfish and I am so incredibly sorry. I wish you were here so I could tell you that._

_Please come home._

_E_

* * *

><p><em>Thursday 28<em>_th__ July_

_Dear Diary_

_I can't believe it's been a month since you left. I think about you every day. I've called everyone I know and they don't know where you are. Damon says if you wanted to be found, then you would be. Then he cracks the whip and tells me to run another mile, or makes me do forty crunches. _

_I suppose the training does help me think about something else for a bit. He doesn't give me much indication of how I am doing, but I ran for ten miles last night and realized when I got home that I could do another ten quite easily. I suppose you would say that I am looking fitter too, I seem to have abs now where there were none before. Damon complains that I don't eat enough, but I am eating a bit now. He makes me eat lots of red meat. Maybe he likes the blood, I don't know and frankly I don't care. But at least he cooks it for me. He still makes me have his mystery power shakes too. I've begun to hate the smell of them, yet alone the taste. They make me gag but when I complain he says that I can stop having them as soon as I eat real food, so at the moment it's a bit of a compromise and a combination of both. I must admit though, swimming 20 lengths every morning does seem to make me a little bit hungry._

_Jeremy came to see me last night. He didn't say so, but I think he is missing me. He knows about everything going on with you and me, but I have sworn him to secrecy. I think I just needed to share. He says I should stop beating myself up about a 'dumb kiss', which I might, if you were here! But how can I when you still don't show? He seems happy with Bonnie, but I'm glad he didn't bring her. She calls me all the time, but I don't want to speak to her or Caroline. Not yet anyway. I go back to school soon, so they'll see me soon enough. I know they're worried about my disappearance. I haven't told them what's going on, I'm too ashamed._

_Tomorrow is your day. I still think of it like that you see. Damon covers for you, but he doesn't have your patience when we go shooting. I don't think I am making any progress in that area. See, I need you to come back – for so many reasons, but let's just say it's for that one, because that is the easiest._

_Stefan, can you ever forgive me? I hope so._

_E_

* * *

><p>Damon was having a crisis. Was he helping her at all? At what cost was his help? He felt he was cracking under the strain. Help Elena and drive himself into an insane asylum. It was almost funny. Almost.<p>

Plus now she hated him, but he reminded himself for the umpteenth time why he had to do this. Perhaps he felt he needed punishing too, because this sure was the right way to go about it. He was enemy no.1.

She didn't eat, didn't drink unless he made her do it. He was so worried at first that he crushed a dozen different vitamins into each of the shakes he was asking her to drink, along with all the supplements he could think of to help her cope with the punishing routine. He cooked too, trying to keep her healthy; she was so anemic it was worrying. Plenty of eggs, red meat and fish (when he could get her to eat it).

He sighed. The biggest ingredient of all the meals was not a food stuff or a pill, it was an emotion and one that went unspoken.

* * *

><p>The next morning, she actually awoke before her alarm. She got out of bed having had a nearly normal night's sleep. She jumped into the shower, tied up her hair, put on her sweats and bounded down the stairs.<p>

When she saw him standing there, in the doorway, his brow furrowed, her mouth fell open. She almost couldn't move, but eventually she ran towards him and threw her arms around him. It was a move that he did not reciprocate. He waited until she was done, then unpeeled her from his body. It was only then, that she saw Damon was behind them, watching their unhappy reunion from the shadows.

"It is _my _day." Stefan said simply. "Get in the car."

"Stefan, no. We need to talk."

"I'm only here to train you. Please get your things, we are leaving." He said, the coldness in his voice reflected by his body language. She felt her eyes begin to well.

"But Stefan-"

"I'm not interested in making up with you." He said. "But I won't let you die, so I am here to complete your training. If you are serious about it, then you will come with me now." She looked at his cold serious eyes and then looked at Damon for reassurance. He didn't help.

"You better get going." He said, then stood up and walked past them both. He turned back when he was halfway up the stairs, with an afterthought that he addressed to Stefan.

"She's fine with the forty-five and the nine mil, but she needs work on the twelve guage shotgun." And then he was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Monday 2<em>_nd__ August_

_Dear Diary_

_It's taken me so long to write, because so much has happened. Apart from my scribbled entry on the 29__th__ July that just says 'He's Home!', I haven't had a chance to sit down. _

_Things were really frosty to begin with. I think Stefan had assumed that in his absence Damon and I had gotten together. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think they must have had a talk about it, because the next day things seemed to be a lot easier. _

_We fell back into the schedule easily, but on my Stefan days, we haven't really had much time to talk as he has had me shooting ridiculous guns that I shall never use (can you believe I know how to load and fire a whole magazine and strip down a M-16 and an M-4? It's insane! The M-4 has laser sights and an 'optional' grenade launcher, which of course he makes me use! What the hell does he think Klaus is coming at me with?). _

_Anyway, tonight we actually all sat around the table to eat together and that's when things really came to a head._

_Stefan actually reached for my hand and he said that he was only so hurt about what had happened because he loved me so much. He said that he had been thinking long and hard about it and that he didn't want to lose me, or either of us, from his life. He said, that if he had to, he wouldn't just share me for training days, but __beyond__ that. Then he left a massive pause and when I realized what he meant, I nearly had a heart attack! Damon looked at me straight away, but I just sat there with my mouth opening and closing like a guppy. Anyway, after that bombshell, he said that he loved us both and knew deep down that we had never meant to hurt him. He said he could see the attraction we had between us and he truly believed that we had been trying to fight it. He said that if I wanted him back, then we could all of us work this thing out. _

_Well, as you can imagine, nobody said anything for a while. Then Damon eventually spoke and said, 'If that's what Elena wants, then I'm okay with it'. Sweet Lord! I couldn't stop shaking. Stefan took my hand and squeezed it; it had been the first time he had touched me in weeks. I looked into his eyes and wanted to say 'don't be ridiculous! I don't want to share you, I just want you back.' But the words didn't come out of my lips. I just said, 'Okay.' And then like that, he nodded. We all got up hurriedly to clear the plates, every one of us all a flutter. When Damon passed me going into the kitchen, the back of his hand brushed against mine. It was deliberate I think. But either way, it set my body tingling. Maybe Stefan was right to do this after all…_

_I am still dealing with the shock._

_E_

* * *

><p><em>August<em>

_Dear Diary_

_I don't even know day it is today, I am just so happy! Things have warmed up and I am back in Stefan's room. _

_:-)_

_Damon says he is happy for us, but I think he isn't too pleased as he and I haven't even so much as kissed since Stefan suggested his crazy sharing idea. In training today though, I may have accidentally-on-purpose let him see me getting changed through a half open closet door… He seemed happier after that. _

_E_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Diary<em>

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I kissed Damon today, I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I knew I wanted it more than anything. I think he felt that way too as he pulled me in towards him in the middle of the kitchen in broad daylight. Naturally Stefan caught us. We leaped apart of course, blushing furiously, but Stefan just looked away and quietly walked out. Damon leaned his forehead against mine for a moment and we both smiled. We both had the same thought I reckon, maybe Stefan had actually meant what he said..?_

_Later that day Stefan came into our training session (which is rare) and admitted to us both that he didn't like the idea of Damon and I being alone together. However, he said if it was okay with us, then maybe it would be easier for him if we were ALL together that first time – you know…. all TOGETHER. OMG!_

_We talked about it and agreed that 'tonight's the night' and I am unbelievably excited/nervous/excited/nervous. I want to be with Damon, but I want Stefan to be happy too and this feels so right. _

_Anyway, I have to run ~ I have to shave everything and then find something amazing to wear (or to take off anyway). Cripes!_

_E_

_PS I am back at school tomorrow and I don't even care. I don't even mind the fact that I am expected to train in the morning and when I get home. Right now, I wouldn't care if they made me train until midnight, every night!_

* * *

><p>They had chosen one of the guest rooms rather than either of their own, as it felt like neutral territory. As she approached the room, she felt herself shiver. She didn't know what to expect. Gigantic worries kept popping into her head about what was going to happen and ultimately she wondered whether this was all not only just a wee bit out of her comfort zone, but a whole giant leap.<p>

She paused outside the room and tried to ignore her dry mouth and shaking hands. She took a deep breath, then put her hand on the door and pushed it open... She couldn't believe what she saw.


	5. Touch

**Wow, my last chapter caused some (unexpected) controversy! **

**This Chap might not go down in **_**quite**_** the way you expect… I'm not interested in straightforward plots, so if you like to be teased, read on. **

**For those with interesting comments/queries, I hope you find that I have incorporated some of your ideas. (Eighp/redcat77/kat thanks especially to you for your thoughts).**

**And, yes notashamedtobesoilyfan, this story **_**is**_** still a Delena, but Stefan is important to their relationship too. Well, I think he is anyway and plus, I quite like him. (There, my secret's out).**

**Finally, this chapter is dedicated to Badboysarebest, whose moniker contains the truest words ever spoken… they are particularly appropriate for this chapter. **

**Sex does make an appearance, as does bloodletting, but maybe not quite what you expect. Hopefully you'll be happy. Eek! Enjoy…..? And if you are frustrated, remember, this story isn't over yet.**

* * *

><p><strong>Finding the Strength<strong>

**Chapter 5: Touch**

At least thirty storm lanterns containing flickering beeswax candles gave the room a soft romantic glow. On every available surface was a vase that was filled to the brim with pale pink and yellow roses; the heavy scent of them filled the air. She could barely bring herself to look at the four-poster bed, but given it was swathed in heavy cream drapes in stark contrast to the surrounding rich décor, it was hard to ignore.

Both the boys were waiting for her; Stefan was sat on the bed - Damon stood pacing near the window. They were both dressed in black, but despite looking deliciously handsome, it was countered by how supremely uncomfortable they appeared to be. When she walked in, it was clear they had been waiting in silence for her, (perhaps, like her, their thoughts were racing ahead about what would happen next).

She had settled on black herself, from her lingerie, to the Hervé Léger bandage dress she had poured herself into. The dress was last season's and picked up in a fire damage sale, otherwise she never would have afforded it. Even so it had taken every bit of spare cash she had had and ever since it had just sat in her wardrobe taunting her with the lack of appropriate occasions she would ever find to wear it. However, tonight seemed the right time to break out its charms and when she walked in, they both rushed to compliment her. Their words tripped over each other.

"You look stunning, Elena…" "Wow, you look incredible!"

They fell into silence. She blushed and Damon cleared his throat. How exactly did one start these things anyway? She couldn't exactly imagine herself saying _'So hey guys, how about we get down to it?'_ She began to pick at a hangnail, a habit she thought she had kicked when she was thirteen.

Stefan broke the ice first. He got up and walked towards her, pulling a pale, blush rose from a vase and giving it to her. It was just the kind of thing he always did, ever the romantic. Did Damon just roll his eyes? Maybe she imagined that. She smelled the roses' beautiful perfume and smiled at Stefan. You could bet your bottom dollar that this room looked the way it did because of him. She placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a brief kiss on the lips, finding herself holding back as she really didn't want to hurt Damon's feelings.

Gosh, was this supposed to be easy? Because already it was hideously awkward.

She smiled at Stefan and went and sat on the edge of the bed, the tightness of the dress barely allowing her to cross her legs. She fiddled with the petals of her rose and didn't look up. As for relaxing, you could just forget about that. She had the nagging feeling that this experience was supposed to be mind-blowing, but it just felt forced and uncomfortable. Damon was so quiet that his personality had almost disappeared entirely. Where was the confident, erotic man she was drawn to like a moth to a flame?

"Shall we have some wine?" He suggested suddenly and they all agreed immediately that this was a good idea. They fussed over opening a bottle and fiddled about with corkscrews and clinking glasses. As they sipped the deep-red Pinot Noir, the atmosphere fell again into painful, embarrassed silence.

"Music?" Stefan suggested… and Damon was about to agree, when Elena dropped the rose in her lap and sighed.

"Whatever this is, it isn't working." She said.

Damon went to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He kissed the top of her head.

"I think you may be right. I'm gonna, you know, just go." He kissed her again and walked out, swiping the bottle as he did so. He exchanged glances with his brother as he left, but it was hard for her to read what the look meant.

Stefan came and sat next to her and took her hand.

"This was my fault wasn't it?"

"No, not all. It just didn't feel right, did it?" She said with a rueful smile, although if she had been asked to describe exactly what she thought tonight would be, she wouldn't have been able to anyway. Maybe that was the problem. "You don't really want this, do you?" She asked him after a while and he looked up at her.

"Do I want to share you with Damon? No, not really." He shook his head. She looked at him, faintly bemused. After all, this entire crazy venture had been his idea.

"Well, why did you say…?" She began, but he interrupted her by squeezing her hand.

"Hear me out." He said. "I didn't want to lose you completely, so I suggested this because… Well, I was scared that if you and Damon got to be together without me, then that would be it. You and me over. You're my best friend Elena, not just my lover. You know all that time I was without you, when I was mad with you and Damon - you know what? This is going to sound absolutely crazy, but I kept thinking, I wanted to share how pissed off I was and yet the only person I wanted to talk to, who would have understood how I was feeling, was you. Do you know what I mean?"

She nodded; she understood what a Catch 22 situation it must have been for him. She felt the same way; when she was tormented over her feelings for Damon, it was Stefan she wanted to discuss it with. No wonder this whole situation was so messed up.

"So I thought about that and I realized that what mattered most, was not that you are attracted to Damon - although of course I wish you weren't - but whether you were still my friend. So I engineered a reason to come back, even though I was still angry with you. I know you two have real feelings for each other, I can't deny it any more or expect you to hide it but it doesn't mean I am happy it. I guess my suggestion was because I was jealous, I wanted to get in the way of you being together, of cutting me out completely." He shrugged and she looked at him, feeling sad and guilty all at once.

"You'll always be my friend, Stefan. No matter what."

"Ah, 'we will always be friends'; why do I feel like I have just been dumped?" He said, a rueful smile on his face.

He looked in her eyes and she didn't answer because she couldn't. But she didn't want him to feel alone either, so she squeezed his hand between both of hers. As she did, the rose on her lap slipped to the floor and he bent to pick it up. He brushed the soft petals along the line of her jaw, then put it back on her lap.

"It's because I love you that I want you to be happy," he continued, "even if its not me that brings you that happiness. I'm not quite at peace with that yet, but I will get there. I tried to manipulate you both tonight and for that I'm sorry. It was a mistake. I won't make it again."

* * *

><p>When she got to her room, she pulled out her diary, drew a line under what she had written earlier in the day and continued.<p>

_1am_

_Whatever I thought tonight was going to be, it turned out to be quite the opposite. Damon walked out and Stefan and I just sat together wondering why on earth we had thought it was such a good idea in the first place. _

_Stefan hates to mention the 'K' word, but I think he really wanted to clear what was on his mind, so of course her name came up. He said that with K, although he didn't realize it until many years later, that it had become a competition with Damon, you know - who could win her, (I can't see why you would want to, but still). He said he didn't want history to repeat itself, for us to become 'part of a game of jealous lovers, leaving nothing but bitter resentment'. _

_Personally, I'm not convinced it's the same; I mean to me, the K scenario seemed to be all about sex and power; I don't think it had anything at all to do with love. Well, not real love anyway. I guess what __we__ have between us, is trickier to define. And so far, Damon and I haven't… well, you know. So you can't say the two situations are exactly the same. At least, I don't think they are. Anyway, I hope that's where the comparisons between K and I end, because she's a heinous bitch and I don't want to be anything like her - especially how she made the boys feel. _

_I don't think it's any wonder tonight felt so wrong, after all, Stefan and Damon have been taking their lead from me, but what do I know? I can't get to grips with my feelings at all. But I know I have to if we are going to settle this thing. I'm just not handling it very well. I need to use my head more, not just my heart (or, if I'm playing the honesty game myself, my desire)._

_Although I have realized one thing, which I'm kind of proud of for putting right. When Stefan came back, I just wanted things to fall back into the way they were before, because it was easy. But, things are different now. Damon's changed and more importantly, he's changed me. I know I haven't been fair to him. So, tonight I have moved back into the spare room whilst I get my head straight. I think that's the only fair thing to do to either of them. _

_Ultimately Stefan has given me the freedom to choose, but he knows I can't make that decision without seeing if what Damon and I feel about each other is real. I __think__ it is, hell, I __know__ it is, but it doesn't make finding out for certain any less scary. Damon is so much harder to read than Stefan, but I think he's willing to let me peek under the surface, at least a little bit anyway. Maybe he is scared too. Perhaps that's why he agreed to this ridiculous charade this evening. Did he think it was the only way he would get close to me? I don't know. Possibly. I know Stefan feels bad about the fact that he made it feel like there wasn't any choice, the three of us, or nothing at all. _

_I went to find him after Stefan and I had talked, but he had already left the house. Perhaps he thought Stefan and I wanted to be alone after tonight's disaster; I wish he hadn't assumed that. I guess I'll see him soon as we have an hour of fencing before school, then a couple of hours of combat after. _

_Talking of which, I should mention that I __still__ haven't scored a single touch against him. I can tell that I am getting better, but that is one thing that is driving me crazy. _

_E_

_PS I know what I said about before about Caroline and Bonnie sounded like I didn't need them, but I do. I've really missed them. Perhaps if I had just spoken to them before tonight, we wouldn't have made such fools of ourselves with the stupid threesome idea (which is already making me wince). _

_PPS I am sooo glad to be out of that dress. I actually like my blood to circulate._

* * *

><p>Monday arrived without further misadventure. And as soon as she reached the school and slipped her car into park, she felt oddly relieved. The strange world she had been caught-up in for the last few weeks suddenly seemed terribly claustrophobic and she was glad to be out of it. She needed this life. She wanted to be an ordinary girl and not caught up in a madman's crazy scheme that controlled her every waking moment.<p>

Suddenly she heard a shrill screech, Caroline had spotted her from across the lot and was bounding over to the car, her blonde hair bouncing freely as she ran.

Elena flung open the car door and they hugged it out like it had been a year since they had seen each other and not mere weeks. Then Bonnie arrived and they had a regular reunion right there in the car lot, with everyone around them wondering what all the shrieking was about.

This was good, Elena thought. Friends, school, normality. Maybe this was all she really needed. For the first time in ages, something felt right in her life.

* * *

><p>"You know what, I think we have been negligent in your training." Stefan shouted at her over the noise of kids all around them in the hallway, bashing their lockers open and closed.<p>

"What do you mean?" She replied, moving out the way as a couple of Goths pushed past her.

"We have made it too centered on the boarding house. I don't doubt you could nail Klaus if he came at you in the practice arena, but what if he comes for you when you are in the gym, the cafeteria, or the supermarket? How prepared are you for that? And let's be honest, which is more likely?"

She made a facial expression that suggested he had a valid point.

"So, what do you recommend?"

The entire girls soccer team chose that moment to push through them, their training shoes clattering loudly on the floor leaving a trail of mud in their wake. He tried to shout over their heads, but then the bell also went, so a sea of pupils washed between them and pushed them in separate directions.

She never got to hear what his suggestion was.

* * *

><p>By the third period, she thought she got the general gist of it.<p>

She was sat at the front of Alaric's history class, minding her own business. In fact she was paying rapt attention. He was talking them through some of the more interesting points of the French revolution and because he was a good lecturer, she was pretty engrossed. History was a class she shared with Stefan, but Alaric had separated them so he could concentrate. Stefan was sat right at the back with the troublemakers. It used to make her laugh.

Suddenly all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something was wrong, she just knew it. She felt the strong sensation that she was about to be attacked. As soon as she thought it, she pushed the monotone of Alaric's voice into the background and focused on where the threat was coming from.

"Yes, Elena? You wish to comment?" Alaric stopped mid-sentence and the whole class looked at her because her hand was raised.

"Er, er… Isn't it true that the real reason the people stormed the Bastille was to get the ammunition stored there and not to free prisoners?" She spluttered, thinking on her feet. He looked at her, a frown on his face.

"Sure, that's correct. Um, good, I guess. May I carry on now?" Alaric said to titters from the class. She blushed; to them she was acting like a freak. Alaric was trying to second-guess what that interruption had been all about, so she threw him a reassuring smile and he continued with his lesson. As soon as he began talking, she whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes at Stefan, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. He put his hand over his heart and gave her a little bow of his head.

She looked in her hand and examined the pencil she had just plucked from the air that had been thrown at lightening speed towards the back of her head. The projectile had been launched by a particularly accurate hand…

Okay, she thought. I see what we are doing here. Game on.

* * *

><p>That night she spoke to Damon and told him she would really like to see him after training one day. He told her that sadly he had plans all week, but on Saturday he was definitely free. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, then bent her knee, kicked his leg out and threw him onto his back.<p>

* * *

><p>That week she had the most fun she had had in ages. She would be walking between classes when suddenly she would find herself thrown back against some lockers, kitchen trash cans, or similar and she would have to scramble to free herself. She was particularly pleased with her hallway escape, which had used a combination of smacking Stefan in the face with her purse, tying his wrist to her locker with her curly pink keychain and then slamming his fingers in the door. He wouldn't try that one again.<p>

On Tuesday she was in the library kind of late and the librarian had asked her to leave as she wanted to shut down for the night. Elena went to return her heavy reference to its shelf, when her hand was grabbed and pulled through the gap up to her armpit. She ran up the opposing bookshelf until she was almost horizontal and then using that for leverage she used her strength to push the entire shelving unit down. Two hundred books fell to the floor, crashing over her attacker's head. He let go of her hand quick enough then! They left pretty fast after that, giggling like crazy people and running hand-in-hand from the scene of their crime.

Wednesday saw Elena linger in the empty cafeteria after break so she could send a text and her attacker emerged from the shadows and grabbed her. She snatched the janitor's mop from the bucket beside her, broke it in two across her raised knee and made as if to thrust the improvised stake it into his side, stopping short of actually harming him. He dropped her to her feet and gave her that same bow he had given her before.

"Good work," Stefan said, "but isn't that Mister Jefferies coming towards you? He looks a little pissed!" He chuckled, and then left her standing - the evidence of her destruction still in her hands. The irate, overweight janitor ran towards her as fast as his little legs would carry him, waving his fist and shouting threats. She dropped the broken mop and legged it; grateful for those speed sprints Damon had put her through.

On Friday she walked through the busy car lot of the supermarket, laden down with groceries. As she approached her car, she saw out of the corner of her eye something move furtively just out of sight. She ducked down and ran along the length of several cars, putting the bags down quietly and finding in her purse her hand-mirror. She angled it so she could see around the row of cars to her right and sure enough, there was Stefan. He moved like a blur another row closer to her, sometimes merging with crowds, sometimes diving behind cars. She looked up and used the reflections in car windows to track him. She opened one of her grocery bags and rolled an egg under a car to her left, then dodged to her right, hoping it would prove a distraction, but he was not fooled and chose to come her way. However, she had created a false scent trail for him and by the time he figured out his mistake, he felt the point of a wooden stake resting lightly on the back of his neck.

"Excellent work." He said as he carefully got up. He turned around and swept her off her feet. "We have turned you into someone truly dangerous."

"Nope," she said, "_I _have." And she gave him a kiss on the nose and playfully wriggled out of his arms.

* * *

><p>Her week had been so fun, she had almost forgotten about her date with Damon. But on Friday night, he had mentioned it before their bout.<p>

"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know, but let's get out of here. Go somewhere, anywhere." She said.

"Okay, simple. I like it."

"_Alle_!" She said trying, but failing, to catch him off guard. She wasn't going to score her touch _that_ easily.

* * *

><p>When Saturday came, Stefan brought her home early from the range and told her he would be going out for the evening. She felt it was rather obvious that he didn't want to be home in case Damon and her planned to stay in. But she was grateful he was at least trying to giving them space.<p>

Either way, her early finish meant she had lots of time to get ready and in fact, even had time to go to the mall. She had been living in sweats, fencing uniform and second-hand swimsuit for so long, she had forgotten what it felt like to get dressed up.

She hit speed dial on her phone.

"Hey girl, you wanna go to the mall?"

* * *

><p>Naturally she came home laden with bags as Bonnie and Caroline had persuaded her that she looked amazing in everything she tried on. Caroline seemed particularly envious of her new figure. She almost laughed when she said, "Jeez, hon, have you been working out?"<p>

She hadn't admitted to the girls that she had a date; she just said she wanted to treat herself. So they all had manicures and pedicures and then she had a cut and blow-dry too, allowing the stylist to finish it in soft waves. She was careful to be fussy over what products were used in her hair, as she knew many fragrances could seem overpowering for vampires. When she was done she regarded herself in the mirror and did her secret Katherine test. Did she look the way Katherine often styled herself? No, it was fine. She was definitely missing the air of evil-bitch.

Now she was back at home she did her make-up (she was going for natural look; not much on her lips but a slick of gloss, leaving emphasis on her long eyelashes as they had shown her how to do in the MAC store). She was kicking herself that she had asked for something so vague to do on her date, since it meant she wasn't quite sure what to wear. In the end she plumped for Guess double-dye black skinny jeans over some killer black pumps and a cornflower-blue drape top that Bonnie had picked out for her because it complimented her olive skin. It had just the merest hint of sparkle around the (somewhat plunging) neckline and a racer back that she knew looked good on her newly toned body. It managed to walk the line of revealing, without tipping into slutty. Over the top she threw her black zip jacket.

She popped her cell, wallet and lip-gloss into her clutch and then reached under her collar to pull out her hair so that it rippled over her shoulders. She added a touch of Channel no.9 and she was done. Ready as she would ever be.

Unbelievably, despite spending almost weeks alone in Damon's company with their bodies almost constantly entangled on a mat on the floor, she felt nervous. Her pulse raced as she took one final look in the mirror. She took a deep breath and went to collect him.

* * *

><p>It was just gone seven-thirty, when she knocked gently on his door.<p>

As he opened it whatever words he was going to say died in his mouth and for the longest time he just stood there absolutely speechless. The car keys he was holding dropped to the floor. She began to smile, but the smile became a slightly puzzled expression.

"What?" She said quietly, her cheeks blushing prettily; her smile wavering the longer his silence ran on unabated. She listed the things that could be wrong in her head, was she overdressed? Underdressed? Goodness, were her flies undone? She hoped not.

He stepped towards her and she suddenly felt overwhelmed by his heat, his intensity, he reached out and took her hand in his own (was he shaking?) and led her inside his room. He was silent and her smile left her face completely; she was confused by his reaction. "What is it, Damon?" she asked again, worry creeping into her voice.

Suddenly he turned to face her. He laced his hands around her waist and he pulled her close. He was definitely trembling, so she hadn't imagined that. She looked into his eyes, in the fading light and against the pale grey suit he wore, they seemed to have changed color to a steely grey. He leaned towards her lips and she felt herself rise to meet him.

His kiss when it came, was not soft and sweet as it had been before, but was filled with urgency; his longing so absolute it made her heart skip. Her lips responded willingly. His hands pulled her even more firmly against him. She felt her curves slide against his plains until they became one body. He grew immediately hard against her and she felt herself color at how much he clearly wanted her. As if to underline the point, his hands slid underneath her behind and he lifted her entirely off the ground. Their eyes never left each other as he carried her to his bed and lay her gently down.

He removed her shoes one by one and rubbed her feet softly whilst he took her in; she tried to steady the beat of her heart. The intimacy of his gesture was a welcome reminder of another time when he had made her feel this way. He was unwavering in his desire, she could feel it rolling palpably off him in waves and her body shivered with expectation. The roof could cave in around them at this moment, but she knew his eyes would not leave hers. He removed his jacket and dove-white tee and she let her eyes fall on his beautiful body, coveting the moment it would be pressed against hers.

Slowly he climbed onto the bed above her, allowing his strong arms to take his weight. Little by little he worked his way up her body until he was level with her lips, whereupon he kissed her with so much yearning that she could barely breathe. She tried to put her arms around him, but he pinned her hands to the bed, curling his fingers through hers. She arched her body towards him, she had never wanted to touch a man more, but his talented tongue was making her forget herself. In no time at all, she found first her jacket, then her drape top slithering into a silken heap on the floor. He kissed his way down to her breasts, massaging them and stroking her over and over again until goosebumps ran over her skin. A gentle sigh escaped her lips as he rediscovered all the areas that made her vibrate with pleasure.

She wanted to respond, to show him that she wanted him as much as he did her. She wanted to run her hands over his lithe and sinuous body, from his sculpted pecs to his strong and muscled back. She reached out for him again, but he pulled tantalizingly out of reach. He hadn't yet said a word, but continued to enjoy the sight of her stripped naked of everything but her skinny jeans, with even her lips kissed bare of the make up she had so carefully applied. Finally he spoke.

"Do you _really_ want that touch?" His voice was deep and low, his eyes alive with fire.

She smiled cutely, bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"More than anything."

"Are you sure?" She nodded, her cheeks blushing lightly as she reached again to brush her fingertips over his chest, but he remained just millimeters from her touch. He let a smile play on his lips.

"Show me." He whispered huskily.

She pushed herself up to him and slid one hand behind his neck, curling her fingers in his hair and the other around his waist - she gave him kiss so deep and lingering that it should have steamed up every window in the house.

* * *

><p>Time ceased to have meaning when every kiss, every caress, every brush of the lips became a sacred moment in itself.<p>

When finally he allowed himself to enter her, her breath caught; she was ready for him, but still his size took her by surprise. He slowed right down as he slid inside her, she took every inch of him into her body and willed him for more. She breathed heavily and tossed her head back to reveal her beautiful, pale throat and animated jugular. He took both her hands and raised them above her head and she stretched herself out beneath him with an almost feline grace that matched his own. He arced himself into her, building a momentum that mirrored her pulse. Her sweet walls gripped him where he touched and he felt himself losing control. She gasped as each thrust took her closer to her moment.

She had never climaxed from penetration before, but he knew just how to hold her so his body put pressure on her clitoris every time he moved. He let go of her hands and trailed his thumb down the sensitive flesh of the inside her arm, armpit and across her nipple, enjoying each of the different textures of her skin. He slipped the same hand under her hip and raised her even higher against him and her lips fell open as her muscles contracted, climaxing with a force that left her void of the ability to make sound. Her eyes closed as she lost herself entirely; there was only the sense of him, her lust, his passion, his breath on her skin, his body against hers, filling her, enjoying her, loving her deeply.

He was riding on her high, breathing in the sweet tang of her sweat; then at the pinnacle of her release, he spilled into her with a cry. When he withdrew, he quickly placed his thumb between her legs and slid it into her wetness, making her climax buzz into sweet waves. He kissed her thighs and made her body sing with pleasure.

Her femoral artery throbbed in front of him and his teeth came automatically. As she rocked on his thumb, he knew he could take her somewhere even higher and as she began to crest again, he sank his sharp teeth into the soft white flesh of her thigh.

When she came, she didn't just see colors, she saw whole galaxies of stars. His left hand stroked her stomach, his right thumb was massaging her clit and his were teeth biting down into her thigh. She had never felt anything like it before. She cried out so vociferously, that the sound bounced around the empty house and echoed back at her.

He felt her blood rush through him and he pulled his teeth out of her quickly and let the dizziness overwhelm him. Her blood was more pungent than he anticipated, it was like a cocktail of all her heightened senses and he found himself grow hard again. She was still convulsing when he gave her thigh a small lick to seal the wound, and then moved above her again.

"You're ready? So soon?" She said breathlessly, shock widening her eyes. He nodded almost apologetically.

"Oh!" She said simply. She and Stefan had some amazing, almost otherworldly sex, but this was unbelievable.

"Okay…"

She pulled him down to kiss her, and then flipped their positions so he was on his back and she was straddling him. It was her turn to have control.

She made the most of it.

* * *

><p>When the morning came, they lay back and looked out over the sunrise through his still open curtains. She was curled into him, lying with her head on his chest. Her lips were chapped from kissing him and God knows she needed a shower, but she did not want to move, as she was so blissfully happy in his arms.<p>

Eventually she told him she should really return to her room to get some sleep, but he looked at her, slightly pained and felt moved to say something he had never uttered before.

"Please don't go."

"I'm tired, Damon. Surely you won't miss me for a while…"

"Stay. Please, stay. I want to watch you sleep." She smiled.

"You said that last time and we didn't exactly sleep…" She raised a knowing eyebrow and he smiled, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

"I promise _this_ time I will let you sleep." But suddenly seriousness entered his voice. "Please, Elena, don't go. Don't ever go."

She looked up at him and understood what was really behind those words.

He took a deep breath.

"I want you to stay with me." He said, "Please don't go back to my brother. I don't think I could bear to lose you. Not now."

She returned her head to his chest and let the beating of her heart regulate. When she felt calmer, she gave him her reply...


	6. Closer

**Oh wow, thank you everyone for the amazing response to this story. You guys seriously rock! Sorry about the cliff-hanger… I just couldn't resist.**

**Anyway, there are some more twists and turns, ahead – but I reckon 2 more chaps until I am done. **

**NB, there's a bit of bloodletting in this chap.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Finding the Strength<strong>

**Chapter 6: Closer**

"Damon, I…" Elena began, when they were interrupted.

"Wow, it smells like sex in here." Katherine had strolled into Damon's room as though it were open season for unwelcome visitors. Elena grabbed the sheet to cover herself with as the vampire vaulted onto the end of their bed. "Oh my goodness, well don't let little old me interrupt you! So, you finally bagged your brother's girl, Damon. Oh well done. Bravo." She performed a slow hand clap. "Not very original, but…"

"Get out of here, Katherine!" He shouted angrily, chucking a pillow at her. She easily dodged the missile, leaned forward and pulled down Elena's sheet. Elena shrieked and hurried to grab it again.

"Wow, you really are just like me, plus a couple of extra pounds. Don't worry, I am sure it's just water retention." Katherine winked and got off the bed, a wide smile spreading across her face. She strolled to the window and gazed through it. Damon got to his feet and marched over to her. He was completely naked, but couldn't have cared less. Elena tried not to feel riled, after all it was nothing Katherine hadn't seen before, but the principle of it irritated her. He should care about things like that when it came to his ex.

"I told you to leave." He said forcefully, spinning Katherine around to face him. She took her time to look him over, pursing her lips.

"God, you need a shower, you smell like _human_." She said the word as she would 'dog-shit'. Elena felt her temperature rising.

"He said get out!" She shouted, rather more bravely than she felt. "Who do you think you are just barging in here? You have no right!" In a second, Katherine was by her side in the place Damon had vacated. She stretched her out her legs in her tight wet-look leggings, crossed them, and leaned in conspiratorially to Elena. It was Damon's turn to frown. He hated seeing them together like that. The girl he loved, the girl he hated, both identically beautiful and alluring - together in his bed… It really messed with his head.

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest? All protective over your new man. Well, sister,…" she said looking over at Damon and languidly taking in his naked body once more, "…I hate to tell you this, but I've been there, done that, bought the t-shirt."

Damon growled and was on the bed in a second, pushing Katherine off her feet and up against the wall by her throat. She merely laughed, albeit croakily. Him losing control was just another of her little victories. Elena was cross that he didn't realize that, (or if he did, that he was foolish enough to keep doing it anyway).

Katherine slipped her hand between his legs and gently squeezed. Damon dropped her like a hot coal and jumped off the bed.

"Touch me again and I _will _kill you, I swear it." He said over his shoulder, striding to his closet and pulling on some jeans. Elena could tell he was genuinely rattled. Katherine still knew how to push his buttons and get a rise - probably literally. It worried her.

"_He likes it rough sweetie_." She whispered to Elena. In a flash she was at his door again, about to leave. She looked at them both then said what she had come here for.

"Oh, in all the excitement, I almost forgot to tell you why I dropped by. I just wanted to let you know that I heard about the little Ninja training school you have been running here. Interesting. Very interesting. And now this sexual tryst too… My, my, what an interesting morning it's been and its not even noon!" She closed the door behind her as she sauntered out.

Damon was still in an absolute fury, his face showing the external signs of the vampire she brought out in him. Elena merely sulked.

"Why do you let her get to you?" She said. He was embarrassed and fought to control himself, his teeth retracting and his face returning to its normal, handsome self.

"I don't know, she always has." He replied miserably.

Elena was surprised at the honesty, but it didn't bring her any comfort. God she wished Katherine was still in that tomb. She didn't hate many people, but she really hated that bitch. She got out of the bed and began to gather up her discarded clothes, putting them on whenever she retrieved a new item. Damon went to her and placed his hand on hers as she dressed.

"Stay."

She shook her head.

"I need a shower and I really need some sleep Damon." She looked at him, he was totally aggrieved. She wondered how much of that was her leaving, or Katherine arriving.

"I'll see you later, okay?" He moved his head giving her the smallest of acknowledgements.

"Sure."

She stepped towards him, placed her arms around him and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Last night was amazing, the best of my life. Seriously, Damon." He nodded his acknowledgment, but there was no warmth to it. He was still in a funk. "We'll talk later, okay? About everything."

Suddenly it was like the barriers came up again and he became the old Damon.

"Sure." He walked away from her and strode into his bathroom and shut the door.

She felt sad that it was the way he chose to end things after the night they had shared, but if that's how it was going to be, then so be it. She stepped out of his room, and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>It was Damon's training day, so she knew he would understand why she was not there. Or so she thought.<p>

He must have let her have three hours sleep before practically banging down her door. She got up, groggy with sleep, slouched over to the door in her pajamas and opened it. When she saw who it was, she turned around and went straight back to bed, complaining all the way.

"What do you want, Damon? I was asleep."

"It's time for your training. In fact, it's three hours _past_ the time for your training."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm going back to bed!" She pulled her duvet up around her ears and the pillow over her head.

He switched on her MP3 and ramped up the volume. She jumped out of bed and pulled the plug out of the socket.

"Why are you being an asshole?" She said.

"Because you're late and you know I can't tolerate lateness." She sank into the chair beside her bed.

"Is this because I wouldn't stay?"

"This is because Katherine is dangerous and now she knows about you. And if she knows, we don't know who else does. You don't know how sick she is, Elena. You have to be ready for anything."

She shook her head.

"Come on, really? I can't fight now, I'd be useless."

"You sound defeated already." He turned to her fencing uniform which was hanging up on the back of her door. He ripped open the plastic of the dry cleaning packaging, and tossed it over to her. She caught it and placed it on her lap.

"Just one more hour's sleep?" She whined.

"You've got five minutes to get dressed. I'll see you in the training room."

He walked out and she fell back onto the bed with a groan.

* * *

><p>That evening, Stefan returned to the house. They all ate dinner together. There had been no awkwardness, or at least if there had been, she was too tired to notice. To be honest, what she mostly remembered from dinner was the brothers endlessly discussing Katherine and what it all meant. <em>How did she find out? What would she do with the knowledge? Did it make Elena more of a threat to her, or less? <em>They talked themselves round and round in circles. She stifled yawns all evening, but figured neither of them particularly noticed, as they were caught up in their discussion.

When she got up to clear some plates, she was surprised when Stefan followed.

"I take it you had a late night." He said, a hint of sadness to his voice. She blushed, but equally she felt her anger surface. Perhaps her lack of sleep and Damon's insistence in working her like a horse, had built into a rather aggressive mood. It wasn't really any of his business how she spent her evening. He shouldn't prod her for information, if he didn't actually want to know the details. She refused to say anything.

Wisely, he kept any questions to himself. Instead, he helped her load the dishwasher. It was an old routine of theirs, but one that suddenly felt uncomfortable - as though doing domestic chores together was a sign that everything was the way it once was.

"How's the fencing going?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Okay, I guess. Only I still haven't managed to lay a single touch on him. I guess I'm pretty bad."

"I doubt that. Do you know how many duels he's fought? A lot!" He laughed. "You are probably the only person to ever fight him and walk away to tell the tale." She looked at him to see if he was kidding or not, but deep down knew he wasn't. She felt a smile creep over her face despite herself. Yes, dueling over a woman or two, that would be _just _like Damon.

"I suppose he should feel lucky I haven't slapped him with my velvet glove and called him out!" She said and it was his turn to smile.

"I guess he should." He looked at her and then said what he was thinking. "You do realise that he trained with Louis Rondelle at the original French school don't you? I mean he has told you that hasn't he, that a master trained him? He helped set up that school." Stefan looked at her, puzzled by the color draining from her face. She shook her head to indicate that he had told her no such thing. He gave her a little half smile.

"If he thought you weren't any good, Elena, I think he'd have given up on you long ago." He reached out and held her chin in his hand affectionately. "I expect you are doing brilliantly." He then kissed her forehead and left the room.

* * *

><p>She slid a snippy note under Damon's door that read, '<em>We'll talk tomorrow – strangely I am tired this evening.'<em>

She made her way to her bed, where she intended to sleep for a full ten hours come what may.

* * *

><p>After a full day at school, Stefan asked her to join him in the pool for his combat lesson. She dove in and swam to the side, bobbing there until he joined her.<p>

"You're doing well, but you think like a human, you have to start thinking like a vampire. What would you do if you could jump me from a height of thirty feet without making a sound? Or had the speed to outrun a car? Come on, I'll show you. Attack me."

She came at him with a straightforward frontal attack, but as taught, feigned and then struck from a different angle. He caught her arm and held it.

"Good, but let me show you what I would do."

He made as if to attack her using the same style she had chosen, but when he feigned, he leapt up into the air and came down behind her, using height to his advantage. She reacted well and when he landed she got him in a grip, but she knew that had he been out to kill her – she would have lost the battle.

"What was the difference?" He asked.

"Well, you came at me from above, I wasn't expecting that."

"That's because we think differently. To you, attacks are ranged from every side of you, but I have above too. Do you see?" She nodded, yes she did. This was useful.

"Ok, today I want you to defend yourself if I come at you from above. Well do several reps of each attack and then we can swap things round. Are you ready?"

They fought until it got dark and when the pool lights automatically switched themselves on. Stefan told her she had done a good days work and said she should go and dry off before she turned to ice.

* * *

><p>That evening, Elena went to see Jenna and Jeremy. She was missing their easy company and to be honest, some of the comforts of her old room. She knew she would return to the boarding house that evening as she had promised she would speak to Damon. In the meantime, she left the boys together.<p>

When she left, Damon settled back into a chair, a glass of his favorite whiskey in his hand. Stefan came to join him.

"You know, you should ease up on her." He chastised his brother. "She's not like you, she doesn't thrive on insults."

"I don't insult her!" He made a dismissive sound with his tongue.

"You don't exactly encourage her either. She'll fail in this if you don't treat her right. She needs to be nurtured, Damon. Give her some kind words every once in a while." Stefan looked at his brother and Damon frowned.

"Are we still talking about her training, baby brother?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"You tell me." Stefan said and then looked away.

Damon leaned forwards and nursed his glass. "Your problem is that when you treat her like she's fragile, made of glass, then she's going to start thinking she is. She's more robust than you give her credit for."

"I don't doubt it Damon, but do you have to push her all the time? Ease up, is all I'm saying. She's not Katherine."

"Don't you think I know that?" Damon jumped to his feet. Stefan realized he had touched a nerve, was surprised (and slightly worried) by that, but he backed off nonetheless.

"Look, all I'm saying is that why don't you try a bit more carrot and a little less stick. The results might surprise you."

Damon snorted, tossed his drink down his throat and walked out, throwing out a final comment as he did so.

"'Cause that worked out so well for you."

* * *

><p>"So, what are you going to do?" Jer asked her. She was sat in his room, looking through his old yearbook photos and messing with his stuff. She picked up a book on Wicca and looked at him. "I'm interested. So sue me." She put the book down. "Stop changing the subject anyway. What are you going to do about Stefan and Damon?"<p>

"I don't know if I really want to talk about this with you, Jer. I mean, you're my baby bro. It's kind of gross."

"And dating brothers isn't?" He said. She blushed. He had a point.

"I'm not dating them both…. Exactly."

"Well, it sure sounds like you haven't made your mind up and you can drift between the two of them forever. It's just not fair."

"Well, I can't make my mind up just like that! Nor could you! There's history, feelings, stuff. You know…" She felt cornered.

"Yeah, I could actually." He said contradictorily. "I'd pick Stefan." She raised an eyebrow. Huh?

"And I suppose you are going to tell me why?"

"Because he is so dreamy, with those cute eyes and that button nose, and –" He ducked as she tossed his catcher's mitt at him.

"Shut up will you!" She laughed and he gave her his most mischievous smile. She had to come over more often, she really missed him sometimes.

"But seriously, sis, you've gotta make a choice, 'cause its not fair to either of them. They're guys, you know. Guys don't deal well with emotional turmoil. And anyway, if you don't mind me saying so – I don't think you are _that _kind of person, El. You know what I mean. You just aren't."

She looked at him.

"I'm not like Katherine you mean." He shrugged. "You got smart, when did _that _happen?" He raised his eyebrows, and she gave him a smile. She rolled off his bed and made to leave.

"Catch you later li'l bro."

"Yeah, later."

* * *

><p>It was a quarter to eleven when she finally knocked on Damon's door. He told her to come in and she was surprised to find him quietly reading a book. She had never imagined him as the bookish type.<p>

"You said you wanted to talk. So, let's talk." He said, brusquely. He put the book face down on his desk and pushed it out of the way. "Have you come to tell me that you regret everything that happened?" He sounded flippant, but his eyes told another story.

She moved closer to him. "Is that what you thought? That I would spend the night with you and then that would be it? 'Thanks hon, I've got my kicks, but now I'm outta here'?"

"Something like that."

She looked at him; he seemed a little tired. She noticed that when he hadn't drunk blood for a few hours, his skin went like alabaster. Perhaps this was more evidence of a fragility that other people weren't allowed to see.

"You need blood." She stated and he looked at her, a touch surprised.

"Actually, I _was _just about to go and get a bag." He admitted.

"Damon, I think you believe that I don't trust you." He looked into her burnt umber eyes and paused for a long moment before he answered.

"I've given you many reasons not to."

"But things have changed."

What she did next he wasn't expecting and perhaps that's why he seemed so scared when she did it. She grabbed his épée from where it rested by his desk and drew the sharp edge quickly across her forearm. Her blood came fast, blossoming into bright red blooms before dropping to the floor into big Rorschach splotches. He immediately put his hand on her arm to stem the flow.

"My God, Elena!" He said, looked rapidly around for a cloth to tie her with, but she lifted his chin in her free hand and looked him in the eyes.

"Drink."

"But, I…"

"I trust you, Damon. Drink." He looked at her, unsure what to do, she was bleeding through his fingers and the smell of it when he was hungry was like an abandoned opium pipe to Sherlock Holmes.

He started to panic, he had to stop the bleeding before he lost control; but far from letting him stem the flow, she thrust her arm closer towards him. "Please."

"I don't want to hurt you." He said, but his eyes and teeth responded automatically to that hypnotic smell. He forced himself to change back, but she took his chin into her hand and fixed his gaze on her.

"You won't."

"Oh God!" He said, feeling his vampire self take over as he wavered. He took one final look at her, and when he saw her smiling, he pulled her arm to his face with both hands. As he drew the blood from her she breathed deeply, taking on the pain with a slight moan (that seemed to excite him, he sucked more strongly). She began to feel light-headed and looked at him, knowing he should stop soon. He was sucking and looking anguished - he wanted to stop, but he was battling himself to do so. Eventually, he pulled away and she fell back against his dresser. He jumped up and ran to his bathroom getting a clean cloth that he brought back and quickly tied around her arm. She smiled at him fuzzily.

"Why did you do that?" He said almost angrily. "You knew I hadn't eaten. I might not have been able to stop. It was dangerous." He said, concern filling his voice. She reached out and touched his face.

"What other way could I show you that I trust you Damon and have you believe it?" His cheeks flushed, his lips became a shade of dark rose and his eyes sparkled an alluring sapphire color. Even in old blue jeans and Timberwolves t-shirt, she still looked stunning. He took her uninjured arm and pulled her gently towards him.

"Do you know what you do to me?" He asked, his voice deep with emotion.

She nodded. "I think so." She leaned in to kiss him, but he only allowed her the lightest of pecks before he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her slightly back.

"And Stefan? Where does he fit in this picture, Elena? I have to know."

She looked away for a moment and then met his eyes again.

"You and I, we have something special. Don't we?"

He took her hand and kissed it. Such an old-fashioned gesture to go alongside his dueling… She loved him for it.

"So, you're with me now?" He asked.

"We need to talk about Katherine." She replied.


	7. Blossom

**Ok, this is the penultimate chapter. I could do more, but I feel people probably want an end in sight. **

**Warning, its about to get zesty… so review and let me know if you like it, because your reviews are like chocolate, kittens and birthdays all rolled into one.**

**Oh, and I know nothing about fencing. I hope it doesn't show too much.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Finding the Strength<strong>

**Chapter 7: Blossom**

He sighed and walked away from her. "I don't want to discuss Katherine."

"Well, that's a shame because we are going to." Elena said stubbornly. She followed him and took his hand, leading him to his bed. They both sat down. She couldn't help but look behind her at the crisp white sheets and fought against drifting into a happy reverie of the things that had taken place here. She made herself focus.

"I don't know how long you two were together for exactly, but I think I know how it must have been between you." She looked down at her feet, blushing a little. The words felt stilted as they left her mouth. "I imagine she was very passionate – intense, I guess. You are like that too. I can see why you would have had a connection;…" she searched for a suitable word, "combustible, I suppose."

"Well, there is nothing there any more Elena. Why are we even discussing her?" She looked at him, but he couldn't hold her gaze and he looked away.

"If I told you I had no feelings for Stefan, would you believe me?" He huffed his response, so she continued. "You waited for her; you thought she loved you. She didn't. She's betrayed you in countless ways and she's just… so cruel." She shook her head, she couldn't believe that anyone who had ever been with Damon, who knew his true heart, could treat him in the way she had. "I can't imagine how that feels, I really can't, but all I know is that you can't just ignore it. You have to deal with your feelings for her and stop pretending they don't exist." She felt so silly talking about this, especially when he was being so resistant, preferring to dismiss the whole sorry state of affairs. "She is no ordinary ex, Damon. As you yourself pointed out. She's strong, she's vindictive, she's terrified because she knows she is being hunted and -" she added in a softer voice, "…and she wears my face." Her final words were the crux of the matter. It made her unbelievably sad.

"Fine. I don't agree, but for the sake of argument let's just say that you have all the answers and you are right. What would you suggest I do?" He sneered.

"Talk to her. Tell her how she makes you feel." He wanted to laugh, but instead he just shook his head. He could just picture him and Katherine sharing their feelings over a nice cup of English Breakfast tea. He changed the subject.

"All right then, as we are getting all touchy-feely here, let's talk about your feelings for my brother; because personally I think that is far more relevant." He looked at her accusatorily. "Do you still love him?"

"When you and I kissed, it may be obvious, but something in my relationship with Stefan died that day. We thought we could go back, but we couldn't, not properly. Admitting my feelings for you was like letting the genie out of the bottle. A beautiful, wonderful, magical genie. I wouldn't want it to go back in the bottle. I've left him, Damon. It's over between us."

"But you regret it."

"I regret the way it happened. I could have been kinder."

"He still wants you. He's not going to give up. One day he'll come back to you with those big puppy dog eyes and then what will you do?"

"Stefan has only ever put me first, even when sometimes that wasn't the best choice. I know that he won't try and get in the way of my happiness." She threaded her fingers through Damon's but looked into the middle distance, lost in her thoughts. "When I think about being with Stefan, it doesn't make me feel the way I do when I think about being with you. I hope he and I can stay friends, but if I have to, I will lose that too… I'd do that for you, Damon. I'd lose the sweetest friend and the kindest boyfriend I ever had, for you. All I am asking is that you try to put Katherine aside for me too."

* * *

><p>"Where are we going, Damon?" She grumbled. He had thrown on his sunglasses and walked her out to his car that morning. "I have school in about… fifteen minutes. Oh crap."<p>

"Just get in the car Elena and stop asking so many questions. You'll find out soon enough."

She put her fencing uniform and épée carefully in the back seat as he had asked her to bring them.

"You are going to take me to school, right?"

"Get in, Elena!"

They drove through Mystic and he turned towards the city and away from her school; she felt panic rise up in her.

"Damon, I have a math quiz today!"

"And who likes those? I'm doing you a favor." She sighed, sometimes it wasn't worth the argument. He flicked her a look from behind his sunnies, as if testing the waters of how mad she actually was. In fact, she wasn't that angry about missing school, more about the fact that he wasn't choosing to tell her why.

He put the radio on and they spent the next half hour listening to a 'guess the year' show (he was surprisingly bad at it, given he had actually lived through 1966). She wanted to put her hand out and touch his leg whilst he drove, but she stripped herself of the idea. It was just, well, she wanted to touch him. Quite badly as it happened.

When they reached the city, he seemed to get a bit lost, but eventually they pulled up into a grey featureless industrial estate. It was just a series of interconnected warehouses in the centre of a parking lot. One of them had over the door 'United States Fencing Association', and a couple of people were heading inside. She snapped her head around to look at him.

"Damon what are we doing here?"

"Get your things." He said. She gave him a look and then got out the car, reached back inside for her gear. She looked at the building, it was windowless and unassuming. Damon got out the car and joined her. He was thinking about what Stefan had said to him about giving her words of encouragement.

"What are we doing here?" She asked him.

"Go inside, I'll wait for you here. You're under the name Caroline Bennett. I didn't want to risk registering you under your own name." He felt he should say something else, something kind. _More carrot, less stick_. "Don't mess up." He added with a cough, turned around and got back in the car.

"Mess up what? How can I mess up when I don't even know what I am doing!" She muttered under her breath. She huffed and strode towards the door.

* * *

><p>As soon as she walked through the USFA's door, she heard the animated sounds of a crowd cheering and clapping. There was clearly a contest going on. She could just about make out ahead a room packed with people. From what she could see, it was made up of young athletes, parents, coaches and friends.<p>

She anxiously walked over to a table which had been set up for registration. The slightly plump woman behind the desk wore a red, white and blue tracksuit on it that said on it _Virginia Academy USFA_. The woman pointed looked at the clock behind the desk and tutted. "You're late." She reprimanded.

"I'm so sorry." Elena apologized, blushing for a slight she didn't even know she had committed.

"What's your name? I'll see if we can squeeze you in, but I can't promise, its up to Coach Raymond." She added cooly.

"Caroline Bennett." Elena said hesitantly. Damon had chosen well, even when nervous those were two names she wouldn't forget. The woman scanned her lists of paperwork with a plump finger until eventually she found what she was looking for.

"Oh yes!" She said suddenly. You're our overseas girl! So glad you could make it."

_I am? _She thought. _Never mind, I'll run with it._

"Sure, er, that's me."

"Well, that _charming_ Coach of yours called ahead and explained that we would be registering someone without a permanent domicile today. You're here for the épée Challenge Divisionals, isn't that right?"

"Apparently so!" The woman looked puzzled, but chattered on. It was clear her 'charming Coach' had had quite some affect, given how sweet and helpful she had now become. Talk about a full 180!

"Well, you hurry along and get changed, because they have already started your division. Take a seat on the front benches and your name will be announced when they are ready for you to begin your first bout." When she looked a bit shell-shocked, the woman took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Oh don't you worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine." She chuckled. "You run along now. I'm tell Coach Raymond you are on the list."

* * *

><p>Because she was late, she barely had a chance to sit down on the bench as instructed before she was called up for her first bout. She had hoped to sit and watch a few other people first to figure out how it all worked, but she was dumped straight in at the deep end. In her previous fights, she had never worn the electrical Lamé jacket or connecting cord which were part of the scoring system for competitive bouts. And as they connected her up, she felt waves of nausea pass over her.<p>

Not only did she feel totally at sea with all the new equipment, but she stood out like a sore thumb in her old fashioned clothing too. All the other competitors wore outfits emblazoned with their various team or varsity allegiances and some even had sponsorship. She stood out when she just wanted to blend. She was used to only one witness to her efforts and here there were at least a hundred casual observers - and worse a jury, who were to judge her performance too. She swallowed, hard.

At the first available opportunity, she was going to stake Damon through the heart.

Unsurprisingly, she lost the first bout due to nerves. She lost the second on faults as she kept stepping over the matt (hard not to when one was used to using unlimited space). Still, the one area in which she had excelled in both bouts, was in her impressive score of touches.

She was told to wait for her final bouts, which they told her would take place in about half an hour. She figured she would take the time to check out some of the other fighters. She paced around and watched the various divisions; some of the fencers were amazingly good. However, she was confused by one thing. The pace at which they fought seemed incredibly slow. Then it hit her. When she practiced, she didn't fight a human opponent, she fought a _vampire_. She could beat them at this, she really could.

A grin began to spread across her face. She was actually looking forward to her next bout.

* * *

><p>Damon waited anxiously for her outside. Several times he got out of the car and got all the way to the door, but turned around and went back to the car again. He drummed his hands on the steering wheel, tapped his feet on floor, switched the radio on, then off, then on again... Finally, when he could bear it no longer, he began to walk over to the warehouse. He had to know how she was doing.<p>

Suddenly the door burst open and excited competitors piled out all around him. He looked anxiously through the crowds for her, but even as the crowds thinned, she didn't appear. He breathed in deeply and found there was no scent of her either. Damn, where the hell was she? He began to make his way towards the entrance, when suddenly Elena flung the door open and like a white bullet, ran at him and leapt into his arms.

"Whoah! Slow down." He said as she squeezed him tight.

"Damon it was amazing! I qualified! I qualified for State Championships! Coach Raymond said I had the most flawless technique he had ever witnessed. Damon, he introduced me to a scout for the Olympic team! _The Olympic team_!" He prized himself out of her arms and she regained a modicum of control and walked by his side back to the car.

Inside his heart skipped a beat, maybe Stefan had been right, about this one thing anyway. She was as fired up as he had ever seen her.

"Hmm," he said, raising an eyebrow, "not _too_ embarrassing I suppose…" She smacked his arm with her little fist, which he studiously ignored.

"Today was amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Back to work tomorrow." He added. "I am sure Coach Raymond told you that your ghastly passata-sotto still lets you down." He started the car and pulled off.

As they had missed three-quarters of her school day, he asked what she wanted to do instead.

"What, are you actually allowing me the afternoon off?" She said.

"Don't make me change my mind." He said narrowing his eyes.

"I don't know. I guess I'm sort of wired." She said and indeed he could feel the excitable energy coming off her in waves ever since they left the warehouse. She flung off her seatbelt and wriggled into the back of the car, beginning to get changed in his back seat.

"Hmm, I know where we can go." He said.

He tried not to be distracted by the sound of ripping Velcro and the flashes of her skin which he could not help but check out in his mirror. One way or another, he had to fight to keep his eyes on the road.

Damn it, he thought as he swerved away from the oncoming traffic, one day this girl was definitely going to kill him.

* * *

><p>The Botanical gardens were shut as the security guard definitively told them at the gate. Damon removed his shades and within seconds, they were being granted access through the electric gates.<p>

"Did you have to do that?" She said, hating it when either of the brothers had to compel someone on her behalf.

"We're inside aren't we?"

She got out the car whilst Damon retrieved a holdall from his trunk. She was so used to the sight of holdalls since she began her training, that she didn't even query what was in it. Guns, targets, trap-making equipment – she had seen (and used) them all. Whatever it was, it was neither large nor heavy and when he slung the bag over his shoulder and came to join her, she quite forgot about it.

"I've wanted to show you this place for a while." He said as he accompanied her down the visitor-less pathways. They walked in companionable silence, just the sounds of birdsong around them and the gravel beneath their feet. She felt herself slowly relaxing as the tranquility of the place began to weave its spell.

He took her to the Japanese garden. The path they meandered along was lined with late-flowering cherry trees that shivered in the gentle breeze. They had a frail and almost elegiac beauty. The blossom petals floated down around them, showering them in pink and white confetti.

They reached the edge of a large pond, its centerpiece a small island housing a tiered floating pagoda and a single cherry tree. The water glimmered in the haze of the early Fall sunshine, the ripples on its surface reflecting the golden light. At the shoreline, saffron colored Koi nibbled at lily pads as damselflies hovered and dipped above them, their shimmering presence as sudden and ephemeral as lightening. Ahead of her, Elena spotted a peacock fanning its feathers and as it began to give its distinctive cry, she turned to point it out to Damon. She was surprised when she realised he was stood just behind her. He reached down and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"I don't want to feel hate for Katherine," he said as though simply continuing a conversation they had had just moments before, "because feeling hate for her is one step away from falling into bed with her. I want to feel nothing. The time I kissed her when I thought it was you scared me; not just because it made me realize how much I wanted you - but because I realized I didn't know it _wasn't _you. Stefan never would have made that mistake." He looked away as though the pain of that confession had to pass before he could continue. "I hurt Jeremy, because I wanted to reach you, make you feel as bad as I did. For that I am so sorry. I hope he knows that too." She opened her mouth to speak, say something about having already forgiven him, but she shut her mouth again. "You are right. Katherine is in my head. I wasted so long wanting her, I've barely known anything else. But Elena, if I ever needed the spell of her to be broken, then you alone have achieved that. Yes, you share her features, but that is all you share. You are everything she isn't. And you are everything to me. Elena, don't ever doubt my love for you, because it's the most pure and real thing I have ever experienced. Please know that that is true." It was the longest speech he had ever made for any woman. He hoped it would be enough.

She reached up to him and touched his cheek with her hand, her eyes sparkling with understanding and love. He leaned in towards her and suddenly she found herself pushed up against a tree, his lips bruising hers as they kissed. She gently pushed him back, taking his hand and pulling him towards the little bridge that went to the pagoda. He could have swept her there in no time at all, but he wanted to be led like this, to feel her need for him grow until she was almost running to get him there. She hopped over the little low fence that said 'staff only', and he followed where she took him. As soon as she entered the coolness of the dark wooden space, she turned to him and pressed herself up against his body, kissing him long and deliriously, feeding her wish to make him forget everything in the world but her.

As they kissed, she bumped up against a sturdy wooden bench behind her. Her legs gave out and she sat down with a bump. She giggled. She reached a hand up and grabbed a handful of the fabric of his tee, pulling him down to meet her lips – but he resisted.

"I have something for you." He said. She looked at him with curiosity. What was with his timing? All she wanted to do was rip his clothes off and let him ravish her! But he was already putting his holdall down on the floor and unzipping it. When he opened it, he pulled out a long wooden box. He stood and turned the box to face her so it lay flat on his open palms.

"Open it." He said. She looked at him, curious at what it could be. She let her eyes fall to the box, which was delicately inlaid with a thread of mother of pearl. It had an intricate bronze catch, which she gently flipped open. Inside, the box was lined with royal blue velvet and lying in the centre on a small glass stand was a épée of such exquisite beauty it made her gasp. Her hand went to her chest and she looked at Damon with wide eyes. The sword was clearly antique; its French hilt ornate with the finest filigree. Even in the gloom of the pagoda its shining steel glinted. He smiled, clearly pleased with her reaction.

"Where did it come from?" Her voice full of wonder.

"Take it." He said. "Try its weight." She hesitated, but when he nodded, she reached out and lifted the blade from its housing. She examined the intricate steel of its hilt, the filigree work there depicted fencers locked in glorious bouts.

"It's so beautiful. Is it very old?" She asked as she stood up and looked down the length of its blade, carefully flexing it in the air with a sweep or two from her wrist. It made a satisfying swishing sound and she smiled, impressed by its finely tuned balance. It was truly a far more magnificent épée than any she had previously seen.

"It's about one hundred and twenty five years old I guess, give or take a year." He said. He put the box down and came and stood behind her. Lifting her arm, he corrected her position, just as he had that very first day. Just as before, she knew it was an excuse to hold her. He gave up the pretence and rested his hands on her hips and nestled against her cheek. She looked again closely at the blade beneath the hilt and made out an engraving. She tried to read it, but the cursive was highly decorative and from what she could make out, in French.

"What does it say?" She asked.

"'_Remember, love alone is the sharpest blade._' Louis Rondelle gave me this sword when I left his school. Now, it's yours."

She snapped her head around, to look at him.

"No, Damon! I can't possibly—"

"Yes, you can. I want you to have it. It's mine to give." She was about to protest again, when he pressed his hands around hers on the hilt and let his cheek meet hers. She breathed heavily. "You've earned it." He added.

She turned in his arms and reached up to kiss him gently.

"How can I ever thank you?"

"Stay alive. Fight Klaus with everything you have. I don't ever want to lose you." She nodded. A solemn promise.

She turned around and put the sword back in its box. As soon as the clasp was shut, she felt herself being lifted off her feet and she was on the wooden bench in no time at all. She gazed up at Damon, love spilling out of her, she was so happy she could cry. He stroked her face, then his fingers slid softly down across her sternum and popped open the buttons on her blouse one by one. He let his hands explore her perfect breasts, running his thumb under the fabric of her bra, until that was slipped off her shoulders, unclasped, and tossed to the floor. She undid the top button of her shorts herself for him, sliding them down over her hips and kicking them the way of the bra. He lay on top of her then, pressing her down until she could feel the grain of the wood beneath her. His cock stiffened in response to her body as she pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. Her tongue probed and battled his, teasing and satisfying him all at once.

"Make love to me." She whispered and he needed no second invitation. Her panties were off in a moment. He traced his fingers over her soft lips and she parted them and took them into her mouth, licking them suggestively as though they were other parts of him. She felt him shiver his response. He slipped his moistened fingers between her legs and touched her other lips, and she lifted her head back and shuddered as the tingle reached every part of her. Despite the awkwardness of their wooden bed, he managed to kiss down her body and as she parted her legs for him, he dipped his tongue eagerly between her sweet folds - making her grab at the bench beneath her. The cherry blossom outside the door released a puff of blossoms into the pagoda and they fell across her naked skin. His tongue built a steady rhythm; he teased and sucked and flicked her clitoris until she cried out, her whole body tingling with the sensations he sent running through her. She arched her back as he curled his fingers into her, probing for her g-spot, making her cry out with pleasure.

"I want you inside of me!" She called out, but he kept touching and licking her, wanting to take her to another plane.

Her face fell to one side as the sensations overcame her, her eyes shutting as the wooden slats of the bench pressed into her cheek. Her long hair pooled onto the floor and the scent of the wooden bench filled her nostrils. His free hand brushed across her stomach, sliding the cool pink petals over her downy skin - their touch like silk upon her. She couldn't form thoughts any more, she could only think in colors. He continued to lap at her, his tongue capturing her sweet juices as he flicked the soft nub of her clit over and over until she crested into another orgasm and beyond. Finally as her muscles contracted around his fingers once more, he rose and slipped his rigid cock into her, pushing deep against her flexing walls.

He kissed her, the glisten of her juices still on his lips. She ran her hand over his firm behind, pulling him deeper. One leg curled around him, another with foot touching the floor, the awkwardness only making it easier for him to make her orgasm last.

"Elena, you don't know what you do to me." It was an ineloquent phrase, but how else could he describe the burn that surged through his body from the moment she had run out of that building today and straight into his arms? It was him she ran to, him she wanted to please, him she wanted to love. He couldn't hold back any longer.

More petals drifted like little lights through the darkness and lay gently on their naked bodies. She looked at Damon who returned her gaze with such ferocity it almost scared her. He felt her grip him, the pressure of her sweet pussy was all he knew. Words slipped from his mouth: Italian, the language of his family, the language of love. He called to her in the names the Sienna lovers whispered to each other at night. As he moved inside her he knew there were no more barriers between them, nothing that could end this love. All there was, was this moment their loss of themselves in each other.

He supported her body and he moved. He swung his legs down so that he was seated and lifted her up so that she straddled him. He took her breasts into his mouth and raised his hips to push himself deep into her. She rocked herself down on him, gyrating to take him deeper with every thrust. His hands found her rear and he rested his palms there, spreading his fingers across each cheek as he moved with her rhythm.

He stroked her back and she tipped her head back, rising and falling onto his cock with a tiny breathless gasp every time. He stroked her hair, peppered as it was with little pink blossoms. The pace of her rocking was sending him into his climax. He had taken his time, let her take her pleasure, but now she was just too much for him and he wanted to end his long wait to cum inside her. Her eyes widened with pleasurable surprise when he gripped her ass and pulled her down on his throbbing cock and let himself spill into her. He convulsed for moments afterwards and she gripped him tight, sending aftershocks running through his entire body.

His head fell against her collarbone and she breathed heavily. They rested like that for a moment, their bodies entwined as the blossoms continued to blow over them. Eventually, he lifted her free of his body and she found her feet, but her legs were shaking and he had to shoot his hands out to support her when she wobbled. She giggled as she sat rapidly down beside him.

"I literally cannot walk." She said. "Oh Damon, I can't tell you what you do to me."

"Nor you to I." He looked at her; who was this curious creature that had this effect on him? She bent to retrieve her clothing and he put out a hand to stop her.

"Please don't. Not yet, let me just look at you a while longer." He said. She smiled. Instead, she leaned down and opened the box that held the épée. Her épée. She lifted it up and walked to the doorway. She leant with her back against the door frame, examining the length of the blade as the breeze embraced her body. He looked at the silhouette of her against the fading sunlight; the pools of light and darkness falling in shadows over her curves and glinting from the sharpened blade. She gave it a flourish and then smiled broadly at him.

Oh she was dangerous all right.

And for the second time that day, he knew she would be the death of him, either one way or another.


	8. Lessons Learned

**Final chapter folks! Lots to get in, so forgive the length. It is lemony (of course), violent-ish (unsurprisingly) and hopefully resolves all those niggling plot details (well, most of 'em anyway).**

**Those of you who like something a bit darker, look out my collaboration with the wonderful Sleepwell, which is coming very soon… we hope to post as "Sleepwell-Silverfox".**

**Ok. Here we go… Thanks for reading and do review and let me know what you have made of this story overall. Shall I do more like this? **

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><p><strong>Finding the Strength<strong>

**Chapter 8: Lessons Learned **

In the morning, she woke up in his arms. She smiled, examining his perfect face.

"You're faking." She whispered. He opened his eyes and looked down his nose at her.

"Maybe just a little."

"Do you sleep much?"

"Not really. About three hours seems to do me fine."

"What do you do with all that spare time?"

"Oh, I don't know… this and that."

"Hmm, idle hands…"

"Oh, my hands are far from idle."

"Damon! Stop that!" She giggled.

He rolled out of bed and strolled over to run a bath. When he had filled it almost to overflowing, he came and collected her and jumped with her in his arms. She laughed as water and bubbles went everywhere. He settled her down into the water, gently pulling her into his arms. She swirled her hair up into a lose bun and he kissed the back of her neck.

"You know I can't stay here don't you?" She said.

"In my bath? I should hope not. You'd go all wrinkly, like a prune." She elbowed him.

"You know what I mean." He continued kissing her, letting his hands slide over her bare skin. They moved around her body, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples. She took a breath and tried to concentrate.

"I mean I think I should go home."

"Why?"

"This is your house and Stefan's too…" He stopped kissing her as she stressed his brother's name.

"I see."

"It feels wrong. Like we are pushing our relationship in his face, Damon."

"And that's wrong because…?" She was about to elbow him again when he laid some kisses on her shoulder to let her know he was kidding. "I do have one question though."

"Uh-huh?"

"Well, you want to move out so Stefan won't feel uncomfortable seeing you with me, right?"

"Right."

"So how come you were happy to do that to me?" He kissed her again and slipped his arms around her waist, but when he rested his head on her shoulder, she could tell he was being serious.

"Damon, it wasn't like that. Or at least, I didn't know it was like that for you."

"Yes, you did." He said simply. She colored, looking down at the soapy suds that created an oily slick across her skin.

"I didn't want to admit your feelings to myself. I'm sorry, Damon. For everything. I never meant to be cruel." He shrugged, as if blowing the whole thing off.

"Doesn't matter now. Just wanted you to know that you have a choice. If you want to go back, I'm not going to stop you. But you can consider this your home now. Bring your stuff, keep your own room. There's no pressure."

"Damon Salvatore, are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Don't be stupid, that would be commitment, I don't do commitment."

"Of course not. How silly of me." She said, a smirk on her face. He reached out and traced his finger from her knee down the inside of her thigh, until it found its home in the warm downy triangle between her legs.

"If you leave, of course it will make it awfully difficult to have baths together every morning." He said, using the oiled water to his advantage, squeezing her breast with one hand whilst the other slipped between her folds. She made a little sound.

"Th-that would be a shame." She said, gripping the bathtub with both hands.

"Mm-hmm." He agreed, his lips brushing kisses along her throat. His finger increased its pace whilst his other hand pinched her nipple.

"I mean, I do have an awful lot of my things here already…" She managed to say.

"That's true."

"And I expect Jenna and Alaric would like their own space without you and me being under their – _oh_!" She shivered all over. He smiled.

"I expect so…."

"And Jer is never at home anyway."

"I doubt he would even notice you were gone…" He slipped two fingers inside of her and she arched her back away from him, a sigh escaping her lips as he gently began to move them.

"Perhaps it's not such a bad idea!" She said breathily, grasping at the sides of the tub.

"Perhaps not." He removed his fingers and put both hands firmly on her waist, slid her over his body and with a bit of sly maneuvering, entered her. She cried out as he began to move inside her. He leaned forwards and said cheerfully. "We could play Scrabble in the evenings."

"We c-could. Or, or…. Boggle!"

"What was that?" He said, stifling a laugh. He used his strong legs to move against her, pushing himself deeper, faster, sliding his hands over her breasts, arms, legs.

"BOOOOGGLE!" She cried out.

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><p>September 22nd<p>

Dear Diary

I had gun training today with Stefan. In the morning, we shot moving targets and clay pigeons. I love the 'bunny hop', which is this crazy wire thingy that makes the clay pigeon run along the ground then bounce into the air about a foot high - at which point I get to blow it to smithereens with my .12 gauge! Anyway, in the afternoon he took me to an army training facility (I don't know how he arranges these things. He seems to have friends everywhere). The idea is that you run around a tough assault course, climbing up ropes, diving under nets, etcetera - and as you do cardboard cutouts pop up all over the place; you are supposed to put a bullet through the 'baddies'. It was hard work, but I guess it was fun. Someone mentioned in passing that I beat the course record.

Anyway, I only mention it because in the car on the way back, I felt that Stefan was quieter than normal. Usually we use the journey to compare the benefits of hollow point versus soft point bullet casings or some-such, but today he seemed, I don't know - distant I guess. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that there was nothing left to teach me. I began to argue that I didn't really have a handle on the .223 Remington, I just can't get used to the twist rate in the semi-automatic… but he just seemed to think that was by the by and looked really sad. When we got back to the house, I asked him if he wanted to take a walk with me. He said he would.

We walked up along the ridge that is just to the north of the boarding house. There is a tree-lined path up there and it's real pretty at the moment, what with all the leaves turning. He walked with his hands in his pockets and I guess I did the same, feeling awkward that we weren't holding hands like before I guess.

'You're ready.' He said. 'You have all the principles; I can't show you anything else. Combat, firearms, traps. I hope you never have to use them but if you do, I know you'll be fine.'

I nodded. 'Sure', I told him. I don't know why I didn't say anything then, but I suppose I got shy. But you could tell what we both wanted to say. In the end, he started it.

'Does he make you happy, Elena?' He didn't need to say a name.

I guess I might have blushed then and as I couldn't speak, I just nodded.

'Take care of each other, okay?' I nodded again and he turned to leave, but I called after him.

'Stefan!' He turned around and looked at me, his face masking his emotions. 'I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry it ended the way it did. You're amazing, you really are. But I guess he and I just have that thing. You know…?' He shook his head.

'Not really.' He said sadly. 'Good night, Elena.' And with that, he walked away.

I felt really awful and cried for a long while after he went. In the end, I pulled out my cell and texted Damon, because I just wanted to feel needed.

_I miss you._

_- Eight hours sure can drag_

_I wanna cook for you 2nite_

_- I think a pig just flew overhead_

_8pm. _

_- Ok I'll bring dessert and alka seltzer_

_And wine…_

_- Sure. Hey, are u ok?_

_I'm fine. Just wanna see you. _ With some afterthought I texted an addendum _I love you._

There was a pause, then his final message blinked onto the screen.

_- You're ok, if you like that kind of thing._

I managed a smile and put the phone away.

* * *

><p>That evening I knew Stefan wouldn't come home and sure enough when I got back to house with my groceries, he'd left a note saying he'd see me at school. Given that was 2 days away, I figured it was another way of saying he wanted to be alone.<p>

I made an almighty mess of the kitchen, but I followed the cookbook to the letter, determined to make something we could eat. It may not have been quite like it looked in the picture, but it seemed ok. Looked edible anyway. I put it in the oven to bake and cleared up. I set the table with flowers and candles, and went to get changed. I heard Damon arrive home and my heart raced. I couldn't wait to see him.

When I got down the stairs he had already lit the candles and dimmed the lights. There was champagne waiting for us on ice. When he saw me his eyes opened wide. I was wearing that purple dress Caroline lent me ages ago for the Kappa Beta Omega party that we had snuck into that one time. A dress I kept meaning to give back. It was old, but I knew it did good things for my curves. He walked around the table and pulled me into his arms. Things got a bit heated then and surprise surprise the smoke detector went off, which in my world means 'dinner's ready'. He poured us some champagne and when I asked him what we were celebrating and he looked at me and said, 'I know what _I_ am celebrating, but what your excuse is I have no idea'. He kissed me long and hard and slow. Mmmmm.

'Elena,' he said over dinner (politely eating the burnt bits), 'if you want to slow this down a bit, I'd understand.' As if he had been thinking about saying that a while. I was really puzzled by that. And when he saw my face, he panicked and added. 'I don't want to, but I thought you might feel, I don't know exactly, but pressured maybe. I know I can be pretty full-on sometimes.' When he said that I put down my knife and fork and went over to him and sat on his lap. I put my arms around his neck and said, 'I'm not feeling pressured, I'm not a child, I'm not even on the re-bound. I need you and I want you. I want us to be together in every way imaginable.' He asked me if the dress was expensive, I wish I said it was borrowed because when I shook my head, he ripped it apart. When he saw the lacy lingerie I had chosen to wear under it, I thought his eyes were going to pop out his head. Honestly, I thought he was going to take me right there and then on the table! But I guess he is still trying to show me his softer side, so he whisked both me and the bottle of champagne, upstairs. And boy, does he know how to make those bubbles feel good!

I feel bad for Stefan I really do. But it's hard to think about him when Damon deliberately takes my mind off of him. And the sex… oh my.

I should wrap this up, it's late and I want to be ready for my morning bath. ;-D

E

* * *

><p>Stefan was sat on a low wall, listening to voices drone on inside the classroom behind him. The lesson was happening without him whilst he sulked outside. He looked up at the storm clouds rolling overhead. The weather had become like his mood; dark and depressed.<p>

He felt disgruntled. Why was he even _at_ school? He had been through the experience more than enough times already and as soon as his reason for being here had ceased to exist in real terms, then he felt overwhelming sense of 'why should I give a shit?'. He knew that he couldn't just abandon Elena to such a ripe hunting ground without warning her, but he had made up his mind. If Damon wanted to be with her, he'd have to find a way to protect her here as well, because as far as he was concerned, he didn't want to do another day.

He did something he hadn't done in a long while and pulled out a pack of Lucky Strikes. He tapped one into his fingers, flipped it into his mouth, lit it and took a long drag.

"You there!" Came a voice from across the yard. "Students are forbidden to smoke on school property. Put that out!" He did as he was told, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Surely you should be in class? Go now please and we'll say no more about it." Stefan stood up and pretended to go back in the building. The teacher scurried off (probably out for a crafty cig themselves) and then Stefan sat back down again exactly where he had been and pulled cigarette no.2 from the pack.

"I didn't know you smoked!" Said a familiar voice from behind his shoulder, he turned to face Caroline as she came over to him.

"I do today..." He said. She took the pack from his hand, pulled one out and took his hand in hers so she could light up from him. "Well, we're never gonna get cancer, right?" She smirked. "So how come you are out here with all us social reprobates?" She added, nodding to a group of kids drinking vodka out of a paper bag in the car lot.

"You know, I just can't seem to care about school any more." He said. She nodded. "I know what you mean," she agreed, "I just sit there all day thinking 'wow, I have all these cool new skills, and all the time in the world to learn this crap. I don't want to be here'. To be honest, I only turn up so my mom won't suspect anything." She took a quick puff and looked at him quizzically. "In any case, _I'm _not the mystery here. You are. Stefan Salvatore, the secret smoker," she narrowed her eyes, "what gives?"

"No mystery." He said. "Everyone who has even been dumped starts smoking again, don't they?" he smiled sadly at her. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Elena broke up with you! No way! I do not believe it." He shrugged and she sat down next to him. "Stef, I'm so sorry. Are you sure?" She shook her head. "Sorry, that's dumb. Of course you're sure! Its just, well, I can't believe it…"

"Tell me about it."

"Stefan, what happened? It's none of my business of course, but if you want to tell me, you know it won't go any further."

"You should probably ask her that." He said, standing up to go. He stubbed his cigarette out and looked once more into the sky. "You should get inside. It's going to rain." He put his hands in his pockets and went to go inside, when suddenly she was beside him, her hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her.

"If you want to talk, you can trust me." She said. "We're friends too, aren't we?" He nodded. "You can call me, any time."

"I'm okay, Caroline. Thanks though." And with that, he turned and walked inside.

* * *

><p>The rain was pouring down and it was darker than Elena had seen it in a long while. She got out of her car, pulled her jacket over her head and began to run to the front door. Damon walked through the rain with the umbrella she had forgotten that morning and strode towards her. They met in the middle ground. She lowered her jacket onto her shoulders and looked up at him, a smile spread across her face. He pulled her close under her red umbrella.<p>

"Let's get you inside."

"Not just yet." She said. "I like being here, with you."

"You're getting wet."

"I know. So are you." She looked at him, searched his eyes. So intense, so curious. She wondered what had happened that time he had kissed Katherine believing it was her. What had been said to make him lean in and close that gap between them?

He smiled curiously. "OK, we'll both just stand here getting wet." He said. She reached up and touched his face and he let her brush the skin of his cheek. She loved the space created by the umbrella, it seemed very intimate somehow and the red light it cast over them felt comforting. She took a half step towards him, so that her feet were almost touching his. Suddenly the atmosphere changed; she could feel his heat, his proximity and he could feel hers. She reached up and kissed him, pushing her body into his, snaking her arm around his neck and pressing herself against him. He responded by slipping his hand down onto her behind, gripping her tightly, breathing heavily as her lips slipped against his, inviting him to play with her; her tongue invading and tasting him. She slipped her hand between his legs and he responded, trembling as she encouraged him to stiffen. She stroked and put pressure on him as their lips continued to engage.

He pulled back, panting a little. "You little minx, I need to get you inside. Now." She shook her head.

"Nope, we're already wet. Follow me." She took his hand and led him around the back of the house. She threw down her school bag and started to strip off her outer layers. He watched with curiosity as she dove into the pool in her underwear. She turned to face him.

"Are you coming in? The water's fine!" She laughed as the rain dripped over her. He shook his head at the craziness of it. But as she splashed about, playfully dipping and diving like a landlocked mermaid, he put down the umbrella, stripped off his layers and followed her.

He surfaced next to her.

"You're insane, you know that right?" She smiled. "Come here, insane girl." He drew her towards him and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around him as he floated.

She broke the kiss and slipped away from him, swimming to the deeper water. He followed, diving beneath the surface he trailed little kisses up her legs and when he reached her waist, he slipped her panties down. She swam away from him again before he could put his hands on her, teasing him by leading him around the pool in a playful chase as the sky above them emptied down. He followed, finally cornering her and slipping open the catch on her bra. He pushed the straps down off her shoulders and nuzzled her there. She took the bra off and let that float away too. She could tell how crazy hard he was for her, but when he went to touch her breasts, she dipped away from him again, leaving him to roar his frustration.

She dove deep down, kicking her legs to take her almost to the bottom of the pool. He followed, meeting her underwater for a kiss that made them both surface, their naked bodies entwined together. Now he had captured her, he swam backwards with her in his arms, taking her into slightly shallower waters. She hooked her legs around his hips and he entered her, using one hand to help him float and the other to hold her against him as she threatened to drift away. Elena placed her arms around his neck and felt the water lap against her body as he thrust inside of her. Everything about this felt good; she was completely in control and he loved that she was. She released her arms from his neck and let her upper body float on the water, her arms spread wide as the rain fell on her. Damon was inside her, filling her, wanting her, keeping her steady on his ramrod-hard erection. She lifted herself up to him once more and brushed his wet hair from his face, laying some gentle kisses on his lips. Both hands now pulled her down onto him and he came inside her as she floated there, arms around him, hands stroking his hair. He leaned his head against her collarbone and breathed heavily.

"Oh, God." Was all he could say, over and over. She smiled and planted half a dozen quick kisses on the crown of his head then disentangling herself from his body. He put a strong arm around her and waded them both to the side of the pool.

"This is madness being out here. Let's get inside to dry off."

She turned to him and whispered a secret. "I've wanted to do that to you, ever since that first day's training in the pool."

"Good job I didn't realize that then." He said, "Otherwise I wouldn't have cared whether Stefan was here or not."

She grinned and let him assist her getting out.

* * *

><p>They didn't really bother dressing, just gathered up their wet clothes and made a dash for the back door of the house. When they fell inside the house laughing, Stefan was there waiting for them and the laughter died on their lips. He took in their disheveled semi-naked appearance with a disapproving glare. "You have a visitor." He announced sourly to Elena, whose smile had been entirely swallowed upon seeing him there. She tried to cover herself and blushed profusely.<p>

"Erm, thanks. Erm, sorry…" She didn't know what to do.

Stefan glared at Damon, then walked away.

She began shivering violently and looked to Damon. He returned her gaze.

"Don't let him get to you. Your visitor is just Caroline."

"Oh no! I can't let her see us like this. I haven't had a chance to tell her, Damon. She doesn't know!" She said panicked.

"Well, she does now." He said as Caroline had quietly entered the kitchen and was looking at them both with a mixture of shock and anger on her face. She turned on her heel and walked out. Elena ran out after her, pleading with her to stay, but Caroline used her vampire speed and slammed the door behind her. Elena turned back into the living room, her shaking almost uncontrollable now. She looked towards Stefan who was quietly sat on the sofa.

"You _wanted _that to happen!" She shouted angrily at him, furious that he would let Caroline walk in on her when he knew what she would find. Damon finally entered the room; he had a towel around his waist and one in his hands for her.

"Do you think I wanted _any_ of this to happen? And put some fucking clothes on." Stefan angrily shouted back. He got up and strode away.

She ran to Damon and buried himself in his arms. "I need to go after her." He threw the towel around her shoulders and rubbed her vigorously.

"You're not going anywhere until you've dried off. Come on." He walked up the stairs with his arm around her.

* * *

><p>Damon watched as Elena hurriedly got showered and dressed. She pulled on a plain, long sleeve t-shirt and dark grey combats and laced her heavy black boots. There was something oddly unemotional and rehearsed about her movements. She was acting in a cool and distant manner, as if her mind was somewhere else. She pulled her ponytail through her cap, then reached under her bed pulling out a black rucksack. He told her he didn't want to her to go on her own and was faintly surprised when she said he could join her. He'd expected an argument.<p>

She jogged out of the house ahead of him, but surprised him again when she asked him to drive.

He took them on the route she instructed, but when they got halfway to Caroline's house, they came across her car left abandoned in the middle of the road. It was in a residential street with houses on one side of the road, but woods on the other. The passenger door of the car was wide open, but its owner was nowhere to be seen.

Damon pulled his car over behind it, noting that Elena didn't seem surprised. In fact she exuded an almost studied calm. She reached into the black rucksack that rested on her lap and pulled out a Glock 19 handgun, which she loaded with a magazine of specially commissioned 9mm wooden bullets. She pumped one into the chamber and unclipped the safety. Damon frowned.

"Is that entirely necessary?" She whipped her head around to face him and he knew he wouldn't waste his time with another word of caution.

"I need you to track her." She said flatly and got out the car, her gun raised professionally, her body taut and poised for action. Her eyes scanned the skyline checking it for anomalies. He had a bad feeling about this, but followed reluctantly. "Check the vehicle." She said to him as he stepped outside. He did as he was asked; cautiously bending down to examine the abandoned car. She stood nearby and continued to survey the terrain, her eyes scanning the woodland in particular.

He had to admit that as soon as he had stepped outside his car and could hear Caroline's engine still running, a deeper pang of worry bit into him. Blondie was strong, but whatever had caused her to leave the car like this was stronger. He reached in to the driver's side and switched the engine off, taking the keys with him. He straightened up. This was bad news and his face furrowed into an even deeper frown. Maybe the gun wasn't an over reaction.

"Her purse is still here." He admitted. "She was pulled out at speed." He walked over to Elena as soon as he shut the passenger side door. "Elena, listen to me. I'd know that scent anywhere. It's Katherine." She nodded like she already knew that.

"She knows that I can fight her now, so she's trying to draw me into a trap. I never thought she would take my best friend, but she knew she had to provoke me to come to her. When I saw the car, I knew this could only be Katherine's work. Caroline was upset, her defenses were down. It was what you always said would happen." Her face grew grim, "What Katherine doesn't realise, is that I'll stop at nothing to get my friend back." With that, she began the ascent up the incline into the damp woods.

* * *

><p>She moved quickly but cautiously and Damon stayed behind her, out of the way of those wooden bullets. They moved quietly. The rain had eased, but dripped through the canopy of the trees onto the forest floor, helping to muffle many of their movements.<p>

"Do you get anything?" She asked in a low whisper. Her tracking skills would never be as good as his senses no matter how many tricks Stefan had taught her.

"Something, not much, because of the rain." He explained. He hovered for a moment and then indicated a narrow path to the left of them that led into the thickest part of the woods.

"Clever girl." She muttered, as if she would have taken the same route herself. She wriggled her shoulders under the backpack and loosened her grip on the gun. "We have to get off this path." She led the way into the undergrowth. The knee-high bracken soaked them both, quickly causing Damon to curse his addiction to impractical designer footwear.

She held up her fist, military style and he froze behind her. She pointed to the ground and he saw an abandoned lipstick at her feet. Caroline had been this way. Maybe she had dropped it deliberately. Elena indicated for silence and he dropped down. Without intending to, his vampire features came upon him. Maybe it was the hunt that brought them to the fore. She noticed, but didn't react. She merely raised her gun and proceeded.

She heard the little thud sound first and then suddenly Damon was not behind her any more. She turned just in time to see him crumpling to the floor. She ran to his side. His face was contorted in agony and he was clutching at his back, trying to remove something there. She rolled him onto his side and saw the dart he had been shot with. He became glassy eyed.

"Vervain!" He hissed and then passed out. Her eyes scanned the trees. Nothing. Damn it! She ripped the dart from his back. He was out cold, but she knew he would recover as the vervain left his body. She had to find Katherine and put an end to this. She remembered Stefan's words, '_You have to think like a vampire!_'. Fine, all she had to do was think like an evil and sadistic queen-bitch. What would she do right now?

She began to track forwards again, her mind racing. This was worse than she thought. She knew that Katherine would try and take her. But what she hadn't expected was that she would have to face that threat alone. She knew that Katherine was clever, strong and very desperate. It made her a formidable foe. She figured it was going take more than a few wooden bullets to stop her, so it was a good job she brought along with her a little bit more than that.

She opened her rucksack and tooled up.

* * *

><p>"Caroline? It's Stefan. I'm so sorry; I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have done that to you. Please, call me back."<p>

BEEP

"Caroline, please pick up. It's me. Again. Look, I know you're probably really pissed at me right now. Will you just call me back so I can explain?"

BEEP

"Caroline? I know you didn't realize what was going on and I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to upset you. I wish they weren't together - I wish I'd warned you. I shouldn't have let you walk in on them like that. I just wanted someone else to feel a bit of what I feel right now. I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking. It just hurts, you know? It just hurts…"

BEEP

I'm sorry, this mailbox is full. Your call cannot be taken at the moment. Please try again later.

* * *

><p>She busied herself with a wire, quickly and easily setting up a snare trap. When it was done, she disguised it carefully with loose leaves. She backed away from it and as she did, she heard a sound. Her head snapped towards its location. It was Caroline. She could make out "Fuck you, you poisonous bitch! The Salvatore's are going to rip your head off!" And then there was the sound of a muffled put-down. She didn't let it distract her, Caroline was strong and she knew that whatever sick thing Katherine was doing to her, she would eventually have to leave her alone in order to come after her real prize.<p>

She wouldn't lie, she was anxious. Katherine was older and therefore stronger than the boys. Taking her on alone was not something she would ever have wanted. She didn't even know how she found out about how the training, but she had, and she was already one step ahead. She'd had time to put her plan into action, whereas Elena was being forced to think on her feet. To get out of this she would have to work fast, what's more, she couldn't fail. The people she cared about most had their lives at stake. She had to take Katherine down, while keeping her alive. She had the same reason for doing so as Katherine did. Klaus. He was at the route of all this hatred, all this pain. Dealing with him was for another day, but her Katherine problem was immediate.

The only advantage she had was knowing this whole forest was Katherine's trap and that Caroline was the bait. The only thing she knew was that the vampire would use the trees. Take a vertical drop.

She moved deliberately where she would be seen and waited. Taking a vial of liquid from one of her combat pockets, she started to put her plan into action. She tossed the vial and braced herself. When Katherine finally dropped from the trees onto her, she didn't expect to be quite so winded. The vampire slammed her hard against the ground, picked her up and followed through with a punch to the gut that sent Elena spiraling backwards. She felt a tree smash against her back, hard. She was winded and fought to get her breath, whilst Katherine laughed. Elena focused; from all those hours of fencing, the lesson that came to her now was the first. She recalled Damon's rules as clear as day: _footwork, riposte, offense, invitation, ruse and recovery._

"Some Ninja you turned out to be!" Katherine was saying as she strode towards her, a pair of cuffs held loosely in her hands. "I have to say, I'm disappointed, Elena. I had hoped for a bit more of a fight." She leaned down and cuffed Elena's wrists together. She put her hand on the connecting chain to drag Elena to her feet, which was the moment Elena chose to spit a mouthful of vervain in her face. Katherine shrieked and clutched at her scalded skin. She may have learned to desensitize her blood stream from the poison, but the skin on her face was not prepared such an attack.

Using the distraction to her advantage (oh how proud the boys would be of her now), Elena sharply brought her chained wrists up into Katherine's face. She pushed the chain hard against the other woman's wrists, and using the vampire's rigid body for balance she ran up the tree behind her - the same technique she had used in the library. _Footwork. _When she was level with Katherine's face, she pushed hard with her knees and jumped down on the other side of her, trapping the vampire's head and hands in the middle her cuffed hands. She yanked the chain tight, figuring Katherine would attempt to tip them both backwards onto her own back. She braced herself for the fall, and when it came and they hit the ground together, she rolled them both quickly to the right twice before letting the vamp wriggle out from under her cuffs. Katherine raced to her feet, but when she did so she triggered the hidden snare trap that fired the Glock 19. It released a 9mm wooden bullet right into her chest. _Riposte._

She staggered back off her feet as Elena scrambled to hers, pulling out of another pocket of her combat pants a ready-made stake. She plunged it deep into Katherine's thigh. _Offense._ The vampire made a terrible sound, like the depths of hell had ripped through her body. Elena stood still. Using supreme effort of will, Katherine leaped forwards with her teeth extended and tried to rip into Elena's throat. _Invitation._ But Elena had covered her throat in Vervain, and although Katherine bit through her skin, her lips immediately blistered.

Elena smacked the vampire's left ear hard with her cuffs. She still had hold of her and despite her blistering lips was trying to get more purchase on her throat. Elena reached instead for the stake still in the vampire's leg and she waggled it as best she could with her tied hands. Katherine leaned back hissing at the pain and Elena used the diversion to slip her hand into another pocket on her leg where she flipped open the protective cover of a trigger switch. The vampire was coming down on her throat again and she let her as she flipped the switch. _Ruse._ The plastic explosive she had stuffed into a tree trunk behind them detonated and she curved into the vampire's body using it as a shield as the tree behind them exploded into a million shards. Katherine's body protected Elena from most of the explosion, but they were both showered in splinters and she screamed as they ripped into her. Katherine was worse off, taking many hundreds into her back. They were both blown off their feet and separated by the explosion. Elena's ears rang painfully and she could taste blood, she spat it out and staggered to her feet. _Recovery. _Katherine was out for the count.

She ran to the vamp's prone body, kicked it over, rapidly searching her torn clothing for keys. She found what she was looking for and backed off quickly, opening the cuffs as she ran. Damon was in the clearing behind her, his body still prone, but stirring. She knew she only had minutes before the female vampire's body began to heal and push the shards out. Her own would be much harder to remove. She flung herself to ground beside Damon as he came around.

"Get up!" She shook him. "We have to move. Get Caroline. _Now_!" He could see the smoke and the mess, and Elena's blurred face slowly coming into focus. She looked bloodied and bruised. He got to his feet slowly, seeing the cause Elena's pain lying at the other side of the clearing, her body twisted with her hair spread over her face. His lip curled and his fangs protracted.

"Damon!" She warned, being one step ahead of him. "We haven't got time for this! We have to get Caroline and get out of here! _NOW_!" She pulled at his arm, but it was useless, he was a rock and she was still somewhat disorientated from the explosion. He shrugged her off and strode over to Katherine, grabbing a stake from the exploded tree as he did so. He could hear Elena's cries to him, but they were in vain; all he knew was the anger which filled him, that boiled over in him. He wanted that bitch Katherine dead. Gone. Never to come back.

He reached her prone body and raised his hands high over his head, the stake quivering between them. Elena rushed to him and threw herself between them. He managed to pull back.

"Get out of the way!" He yelled at her.

"No Damon! You can't kill her! Please just get Caroline."

"She has to die!"

"No, Damon. She doesn't. She has to live. Come on."

"NO!" He shouted and was about to push her out of the way when Elena screamed out and crumpled to the floor in front of him, a stake plunged through the right side of her waist. Katherine rose up behind her, poised like a cat ready to pounce. Her hands covered in Elena's blood.

"_Noooooooooo!"_ Damon yelled and she leaped on him. They tumbled over and over into the undergrowth. His hand shook with the desperate need to plunge the stake through her heart.

Gunshots suddenly rang out across the clearing. Elena heard the shots, but failed to understand. They were coming from behind her, what was going on? It was a battle for her just to stay conscious.

Damon felt the shock as not one, but two, bullets entered Katherine's forehead in quick succession and she went limp in front of him. He turned to face where the shots had come from and found Stefan there, lowering the Smith and Wesson pistol in his hand. Damon turned and raised the stake again, ready to plunge it into Katherine's heart, but he felt the lightest of touches from a bloodied hand on his arm. Elena had found her way to her feet, just to stop him.

"Please Damon, don't do it. If you kill her, it only hurts you more. Remember what Louis tried to teach you;_ love alone is the sharpest blade."_

Conflicting emotions passed over his face, but when she started to collapse he was there to catch her. He lifted her gently into his arms and tore from the forest as fast he could.

* * *

><p>Caroline was crying hard when Stefan found her. She was tied to a tree with heavy padlocked chains, her mouth tightly gagged. When she saw him enter the glade where she was tied up, her entire body sagged and her weeping became long slow sobs that threatened to make her hyperventilate. He tore the gag from her mouth and hurried to free her from her chains. Elena had had the key on her when Damon had taken her from the forest, but Stefan was so filled with anger that he tore the padlock open with his bare hands.<p>

The chains snaked heavily to the ground and Caroline fell forwards, into his waiting arms.

He brushed her hair gently away from her face.

"It's okay, you're safe now." He said and gathered her to him, letting her tears fall onto his skin.

* * *

><p>Damon had rushed Elena to the hospital, but she had refused to stay there any longer than she had to. As soon as the stake had been surgically removed and the wound covered, she checked out. She told him to ask Bonnie to come to the boarding house. And she tended to her with a combination of magic and loving care. Elena had escaped the worst of the large wooden shards, but had many, many small splinters still in her body. Bonnie had taken a long time to remove them one-by-one with a pair of tweezers and a lot of patience.<p>

Caroline was also at the boarding house since Stefan had brought her there to recover. When her worry about Elena's injuries had passed, she made it clear she was still sore for her friend not having mentioned the new boyfriend situation. Elena decided to use the time during her enforced bed-rest to explain to both her friends how things had happened. She told them all about her training and was careful to explain that her feelings for Stefan had changed.

"So is it really over between you?" Caroline asked her. And she nodded.

"I love him - I always will, but only as a friend. With Damon, it is like… It is like I come alive." She said trying to find the right words, then shrugged her shoulders when she couldn't. "I don't really understand it myself, but I just know we need to be together."

Bonnie looked worried, but she forced a smile. "Well, if you're happy, then we're happy. And we'll always be there for you." She said. Elena took her hand and squeezed it.

"Just no more secrets, alright?" Caroline made her promise. She nodded sincerely.

"Not ever."

"Look, there's just one thing I don't understand," Caroline said, sitting in her bedside chair. "How did Katherine find out that you had been trained anyway?"

"We think she must be having all of us followed. That would also explain how she knew the precise moment to capture you, Caroline."

"Makes sense. Jeez. That's bad news." Caroline agreed. "We need to find out who it is and stop them." They all nodded at that.

"How about you? Are you okay?" Elena asked her and Caroline nodded.

"I'm just so grateful to Stefan. He said that he felt bad about the way things had gone down. And when he couldn't rouse me on the phone, he came to look for me. He said when he saw both my car and Damon's; he knew things had turned ugly. He still had your training guns in his car and voila. The rest is history. Thank God he came to look for me." She said shyly.

"Damon's been waiting outside. Impatiently I might add. Do you want to see him?" Bonnie asked Elena, who nodded enthusiastically.

"I _always_ want to see him." She felt her heart skip, as she knew those were the truest words she had ever spoken. No matter how hard the road ahead was, she knew they had finally found each other.


End file.
